Relative roles of Ekman transport and Ekman pumping in driving summer upwelling in the South China Sea(SCS) are examined using QuikSCAT scatterometer wind data.The major upwelling regions in the SCS are the coastal regions east and southeast of Vietnam(UESEV),east and southeast of Hainan Island(UESEH),and southeast of Guangdong province(USEG).It is shown that the Ekman transport due to alongshore winds and Ekman pumping due to offshore wind stress curl play different roles in the three upwelling systems.In UESEV,Ekman pumping and Ekman transport are equally important in generating upwelling.The Ekman transport increases linearly from 0.49 Sv in May to 1.23 Sv in August,while the Ekman pumping increases from 0.36 to 1.22 Sv during the same period.In UESEH,the mean estimates of Ekman transport and Ekman pumping are 0.14 and 0.07 Sv,respectively,indicating that 33% of the total wind-driven upwelling is due to Ekman pumping.In USEG,the mean Ekman transport is 0.041 Sv with the peak occurring in July,while Ekman pumping is much smaller(0.003 on average),indicating that the upwelling in this area is primarily driven by Ekman transport.In the summers of 2003 and 2007 following El Ni o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) events,both Ekman transport and Ekman pumping decrease in UESEV due to the abnormally weak southwest monsoon.During the same events,however,Ekman transport is slightly enhanced and Ekman pumping is weakened in UESEH and USEG.
The variations of surface air temperature(SAT)over the Arctic are closely related to global climate change.Based on reanalysis datasets and a newly defined Aleutian Low intensity index,we found a good correlation between intensity of winter Aleutian Low and the SAT over the Arctic during the subsequent summer.Explanations were given using correlation analysis,composite analysis,and singular value decomposition methods.When intensity of winter Aleutian Low was weaker,sea surface temperature appeared higher in the North Pacific in the subsequent spring and summer,resulting in mean meridional circulation anomalies and 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies in spring and summer.Anomalous upward motion in mid-latitudes and downward motion in high latitudes(Ferrel cell weakening)transported the warmer air to the north from lower layer to the upper layer followed by increases in the SAT over the Arctic.Anomalous downward motion over about 75°N also caused consequent adiabatic warming and contributed to inhibit the heat transportation from surface to upper layer.Negative 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies existed in mid-latitudes and positive anomalies existed in high latitudes.The pattern(low-in-south and high-in-north)benefited from increasing the inflow volume flux of the Bering Strait,which also made the SAT over the Arctic increase.The results of this study reveal the process that the summer SAT over the Arctic was modulated by interannual variability of intensity of winter Aleutian Low.
利用SODA(Simple Ocean Data Assimilation)的海温资料和Unisys Weather的热带气旋资料,研究了1960—2008年期间北太平洋上层150m的热含量分布特征及其与西北太平洋热带气旋发生频次的关系。考虑了纬度的变化对热含量的影响后,北太平洋热含量的高值中心位于10°N左右,与上层海温结构相符,计算结果更加符合物理意义。北太平洋热含量与西北太平洋热带气旋频数年际相关性研究表明在北太平洋中高纬度大洋内区和赤道东太平洋热带不稳定波发生区呈现出前期冬季正相关性。此相关性存在显著年代际的变化,在1970—1975年和1984—2008年期间最强,1976—1983年期间较弱。在北太平洋中高纬度大洋内区,同期春夏秋季同样存在强正相关。在西太平洋暖池区,同期秋季负相关最为显著。赤道中太平洋区域在夏季呈显著的正相关,秋季减弱。赤道东太平洋海域的相关性前期冬季负相关最为显著,春季负相关性减弱,夏季和秋季无显著相关。
