Imprint of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation on the South China Sea Throughflow Variability

Abstract

nalysis of the 62-yr hindcast outputs from an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model reveals a prominent decadal variability in the upper-layer (0?745 m) Luzon Strait transport (LST), a key component of the South China Sea throughflow. This variability is in phase with the basin-scale wind stress anomalies associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). A composite analysis shows that during the positive phase of the PDO, the Aleutian low and its related positive wind stress curl anomalies intrude southward, reducing the trade winds and enhancing the westerly wind anomalies in the tropical North Pacific. In response, the North Equatorial Current bifurcation shifts northward, resulting in a weaker Kuroshio east of Luzon and consequently a stronger South China Sea throughflow in the upper 745 m.