Variability of the Coupled Physical-Biogeochemical Processes in the South China Sea

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Background

The South China Sea is the largest marginal sea in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The multiscale interactive ocean circulation in this semi-closed basin shows great complexity driven by, for example, the East Asia Monsoon, the extensive internal tides, and the large-scale circulation from the subtropical ocean circulation system. The circulations and thereby the biogeochemical processes are greatly sensitive to those previous forcings. These processes make the South China Sea a dynamic system, which attracts arising attention of the multi-disciplinary scientific communities.

In the mainstream of previous studies, the mean state of the physical-biogeochemical processes was extensively investigated, and seasonality was proposed as the most representative scale of variability. However, it has also long been recognized that the oceanic processes in the South China Sea exhibit remarkable sub-mesoscale, mesoscale, interannual, and even decadal variabilities. For example, the intensity of the terrestrial water and material discharges, the spreading of the buoyant waters, eddies, and the concentration of Chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen are sensitive to the climate variability conveyed through both the atmospheric and oceanic pathways. The intensity of variabilities in these scales, to some extent, may even exceed the seasonal variations. Various processes interplay inherently to modulate the responses to the changing climate and anthropogenic activities. However, the characteristics and underlying dynamics governing those cross-scale interactive physical-biogeochemical processes have not been well revealed.

This research topic focuses on not only the mean characteristics but also the multi-scale variability of the coupled physical-biogeochemical processes in this important marginal sea. Authors are invited to submit both original research articles and reviews. The topics covered in this Research Topic include but are not limited to:
- The remote sensed, in-situ observed and/or simulated characteristics of the interactive air-sea processes that shape the physical and/or biogeochemical processes in the South China Sea;
- The characteristics of multiscale physical-biogeochemical processes in the South China Sea;
- The evolution and reasoning of the coupled physical-biogeochemical processes in response to the changing climate and anthropogenic impacts.
- The cross-scale interactions of physical processes from observations, simulations and/or theoretical analyses.

Keywords: South China Sea, multiscale variabilities, marginal sea, processes, Physical and Biogeochemical processes

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