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Special Session 5: Ocean-atmosphere interaction, multi-scale climate variability and their implication for biogeochemical processes |
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Thermal variations in the South China Sea associated with the
eastern and central Pacific El Nino events and their
mechanisms
SS5-13
Qinyan Liu* , South China Sea Institute of Oceanology
Dongxiao Wang, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology
Xin Wang, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology
Yeqiang Shu, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology
Qiang Xie, 2Sanya Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering
Presenter Email: qyliu66@scsio.ac.cn
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| In this study, we investigate the interannual variability of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the South China Sea (SCS) associated with two types of El Nino, namely, the eastern Pacific (EP) El Nino and the central Pacific (CP) El Nino. First, double warm peaks can occur during both types of El Nino events in the SCS. However, the strong warm basin mode can only develop in the EP El Nino, while the warm semibasin mode exists during the CP El Nino. Associated with an anomalous positive (negative) net surface heat flux in the EP (CP) El Nino, along with a shallower thermocline with weaker (stronger) northeasterly wind anomalies, the SST anomalies become warmer (cooler) in the developing autumn. Over the background of cooling SST in autumn of CP El Nino, therefore, only a weak warming can occur in the subsequent years, which is limited in the western boundary area under the forcing of warm ocean advection. Second, the SST oscillation periods are different in these two types of El Nino. The SST evolution in the EP El Nino is negative-positive with a quasi-biennial oscillation, but that in the CP El Nino is positive-negative-positive-negative with an annual oscillation. It seems that the double cooling in the CP El Nino is phase-locked to the late autumn season. |
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