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South China Sea throughflow: A heat and freshwater conveyor
Author(s) -
Qu Tangdong,
Du Yan,
Sasaki Hideharu
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl028350
Subject(s) - throughflow , oceanography , sea surface temperature , pelagic zone , climatology , geology , china , geography , archaeology , soil science
Analysis of surface flux data suggests that the South China Sea throughflow is a conveyor belt transferring up to 0.2 PW (1 PW = 1 × 10 15 W) of heat and 0.1 Sv (1 Sv = 1 × 10 6 m 3 s −1 ) of freshwater from the South China Sea into the Indonesian maritime continent. As surface heat and freshwater fluxes display substantially different temporal variations with the South China Sea throughflow, we hypothesize that the South China Sea acts as a heat capacitor, storing heat in certain years and releasing it in others. Results from a high‐resolution general circulation model confirm this hypothesis, implying that the South China Sea is likely to play a more active role than previously thought in regulating the sea surface temperature pattern in the Indonesian maritime continent and its adjoining western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans.