Mon Feb 16, F. Flechtner
• Sorted by Date • Sorted by Last Name of First Author •
Ma, Zhongtian, Fok, Hok Sum, Tenzer, Robert, and Chen, Jianli, 2026. Seasonal Geostrophic Velocity Anomalies and Eddy Kinetic Energy in the South China Sea: Perspectives from Steric and Manometric Observations. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 56(2):313–334, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-25-0106.1.
• from the NASA Astrophysics Data System • by the DOI System •
@ARTICLE{2026JPO....56..313M,
author = {{Ma}, Zhongtian and {Fok}, Hok Sum and {Tenzer}, Robert and {Chen}, Jianli},
title = "{Seasonal Geostrophic Velocity Anomalies and Eddy Kinetic Energy in the South China Sea: Perspectives from Steric and Manometric Observations}",
journal = {Journal of Physical Oceanography},
year = 2026,
month = feb,
volume = {56},
number = {2},
pages = {313-334},
abstract = "{The sea level anomaly (SLA) has been accurately tracked by satellite
altimetry, yet its barotropic and depth-integrated baroclinic
components are routinely interpreted using theoretical or
modeled vertical structures. In this study, we utilized
manometric SLA from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
(GRACE) and steric SLA from observational and reanalysis
temperature/salinity databases to evaluate their roles in
seasonal variations of geostrophic velocity anomalies and eddy
kinetic energy (EKE) in the South China Sea (SCS). Through the
empirical orthogonal function analysis, we found that the
manometric component of geostrophic velocity anomalies is
closely associated with the western boundary current, reflecting
a barotropic response to seasonally reversed wind stress in
summer and winter. The steric component, primarily driven by
baroclinic instability, shapes two large cyclonic (anticyclonic)
gyres (Luzon and Nansha Gyres) in the northeastern and southern
SCS during summer (winter), as well as small mesoscale anomalies
in the northwestern SCS during spring and autumn. The cross-
correlation analysis demonstrates considerable influence of wind
stress on the surface dynamics throughout SCS, while wind stress
curl predominantly contributes to the gyres and dipole system
off the Vietnamese coasts. Opposing covariances between
manometric and steric EKE along the eastern deep and western
shelf sides of the southwestern continental slope were
investigated via vertical density, temperature, and salinity
anomalies along three transects. These patterns arise from
seasonally distinct horizontal and vertical mixing structure in
upper-layer and near-bottom cross-shelf currents, providing
observational evidence for significant interactions between
baroclinic and barotropic instabilities in coastal regions.}",
doi = {10.1175/JPO-D-25-0106.1},
adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2026JPO....56..313M},
adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System}
}
Generated by
bib2html_grace.pl
(written by Patrick Riley
modified for this page by Volker Klemann) on
Mon Feb 16, 2026 23:51:58
GRACE-FO
Mon Feb 16, F. Flechtner