Interannual to Interdecadal Variability of the Southern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass and Establishment of “Forcing Mechanism Bridge”

Abstract

The Yellow Sea cold water mass (YSCWM) occupies a wide region below the Yellow Sea (YS) thermocline in summer which is the most conservative water and may contain clearer climate signals than any other water masses in the YS. This study investigated the low-frequency variability of the southern YSCWM (SYSCWM) and established the “forcing mechanism bridge” using correlation analysis and singular value decomposition. On the interannual timescale, the southern oscillation can affect the SYSCWM through both the local winter monsoon (WM) and the sea surface net heat flux. On the decadal timescale, the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) can affect the SYSCWM via two “bridges”. First, the PDO affects the SYSCWM intensity by Aleutian low (AL), WM, and surface air temperature (SAT). Second, the PDO affects the SYSCWM by AL, WM, Kuroshio heat transport, and Yellow Sea warm current. The Arctic oscillation (AO) affects the SYSCWM by the Mongolian high, WM, and SAT. Before and after the 1980s, the consistent phase change of the PDO and the AO contributed to the significant decadal variability of the SYSCWM. Finally, one simple formula for predicting the decadal variability of SYSCWM intensity was established using key influencing factors.

Keywords

• Southern Yellow Sea cold water mass
• low-frequency variability
• forcing factors
• bridge