Responses of the circulation and water mass in the Beibu Gulf to the seasonal forcing regimes

GAO Jingsong; SHI Maochong; CHEN Bo; GUO Peifang; ZHAO Dongliang

doi:10.1007/s13131-014-0506-6

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Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2014 > 33(7): 1-11

GAO Jingsong, SHI Maochong, CHEN Bo, GUO Peifang, ZHAO Dongliang. Responses of the circulation and water mass in the Beibu Gulf to the seasonal forcing regimes[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2014, 33(7): 1-11. doi: 10.1007/s13131-014-0506-6

Citation:

GAO Jingsong, SHI Maochong, CHEN Bo, GUO Peifang, ZHAO Dongliang. Responses of the circulation and water mass in the Beibu Gulf to the seasonal forcing regimes[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2014, 33(7): 1-11. doi: 10.1007/s13131-014-0506-6

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Responses of the circulation and water mass in the Beibu Gulf to the seasonal forcing regimes

doi: 10.1007/s13131-014-0506-6

1.
Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China;Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
2.
Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
3.
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China

Received Date: 2013-01-13
Rev Recd Date: 2014-01-07

Abstract

Abstract

In the past 20 a, the gulf-scale circulation in the Beibu Gulf has been commonly accepted to be driven by a wind stress or density gradient. However, using three sensitive experiments based on a three-dimensional baroclinic model that was verified by observations, the formation mechanisms were revealed: the circulation in the northern Beibu Gulf was triggered by the monsoon wind throughout a year;whereas the southern gulf circulation was driven by the monsoon wind and South China Sea (SCS) circulation in winter and summer, respectively. The force of heat flux and tidal harmonics had a strong effect on the circulation strength and range, as well as the local circulation structures, but these factors did not influence the major circulation structure in the Beibu Gulf. On the other hand, the Beibu Gulf Cold Water Mass (BGCWM) would disappear without the force of heat flux because the seasonal thermocline layer was generated by the input of heat so that the vertical mixing between the upper hot water and lower cold water was blocked. In addition, the wind-induced cyclonic gyre in the northern gulf was favorable to the existence of the BGCWM. However, the coverage area of the BGCWM was increased slightly without the force of the tidal harmonics. When the model was driven by the monthly averaged surface forcing, the circulation structure was changed to some extent, and the coverage area of the BGCWM almost extended outwards 100%, implying the circulation and water mass in the Beibu Gulf had strong responses to the temporal resolution of the surface forces.
- Princeton ocean model (POM),
- Beibu Gulf (Gulf of Tonkin),
- circulation,
- cold water mass,
- response

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References(41)

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