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The Ocean Heat Content Changes in the South China Sea due to Tropical Cyclones with Different Tracks

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Abstract

The influences of the tropical cyclones (TCs) on the ocean heat content (OHC) of the South China Sea (SCS) was investigated by observations and numerical simulations. Ensemble analyses based on observations showed notable differences in OHC changes caused by TCs with different tracks: (1) TCs which generated over the western North Pacific (WNP) and did not enter the SCS (TC-P) decreased the OHC mainly in the central SCS while increasing the OHC in southern SCS and coastal areas along South China; (2) TCs which generated over the WNP and entered the SCS (TC-PS) decreased the OHC in most of the SCS beyond the coastal areas with a higher amplitude than that caused by TC-P; and (3) TCs which generated over the SCS (TC-S) induced the strongest OHC decrease and a distinct OHC increase in the southeastern SCS and Sulu Sea (SS). The distinct response of the SCS OHC was mainly attributed to the different surface heat fluxes and oceanic transports caused by TCs. Strong surface heat flux proximal to TC tracks led to ocean heat release to the atmosphere and decreased the OHC in these areas, while the oceanic current caused by the TC cyclonic wind field transported the OHC to areas distant from the TC center. Eastward transport of the OHC south of 15° N increased the OHC in the southeastern SCS and SS. These results expressed the detailed response of the OHC to TCs with different tracks over the WNP and SCS, and clarified the influences of TCs on the ocean environments of the SCS and for predicting the changes in the SCS.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Basic Scientific Fund for National Public Research Institutes of China (2020Q05), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41706034 and 41376038), Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (2019A02); National Science and Technology Major Project (2016ZX05057015), National Programme on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction (GASI-03-01-01-02 and GASI-IPOVAI-01-05), and NSFC-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers (U1606405).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Long Yu, Jia Sun, Zhenli Hui, Xuejun Xiong, Guangbing Yang, Yanliang Guo, Xia Ju, Liang Chen, Xiaomin Hu & Ying Li

  2. Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China

    Long Yu, Jia Sun, Zhenli Hui, Xuejun Xiong, Guangbing Yang, Yanliang Guo, Xia Ju, Liang Chen, Xiaomin Hu & Ying Li

  3. Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China

    Long Yu, Jia Sun, Zhenli Hui, Xuejun Xiong, Guangbing Yang, Yanliang Guo, Xia Ju, Liang Chen, Xiaomin Hu & Ying Li

  4. College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Nanjing, China

    Shanshan Jin

  5. School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA, USA

    Lu Wang

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Yu, L., Sun, J., Hui, Z. et al. The Ocean Heat Content Changes in the South China Sea due to Tropical Cyclones with Different Tracks. Pure Appl. Geophys. 178, 269–286 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-020-02630-w

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