Coherent Interannual–Decadal Potential Temperature Variability in the Tropical–North Pacific Ocean and Deep South China Sea

Abstract

Climate variability over the Tropical and North Pacific Ocean (TPO and NPO, respectively) modulates marginal sea variability. The South China Sea (SCS), the largest marginal sea in the western NPO, is an outstanding example of a region that responds quickly to climate change. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the response of the deep SCS to large-scale climate variability. Multivariate empirical orthogonal function analysis revealed three prominent modes of interconnected temperature anomaly fluctuations within the TPO and NPO. These coherent modes highlight the interactive dynamics among climate variations and reveal their modulation mechanisms for previously less explored potential temperature variabilities in the deep SCS. On the atmospheric bridge, external forces modify the upper-layer Luzon Strait Transport (LST) by adjusting the Ekman transport and Kuroshio intrusion. For the oceanic pathway, climate variations disturb the deep-layer LST by adjusting the barotropic flows in the upper layer.