Sea surface temperature anomalies in the South China Sea during mature phase of ENSO

Based on the 18-year (1993–2010) National Centers for Environmental Prediction optimum interpolation sea surface temperature (SST) and simple ocean data assimilation datasets, this study investigated the patterns of the SST anomalies (SSTAs) that occurred in the South China Sea (SCS) during the mature phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. The most dominant characteristic was that of the outof-phase variation between southwestern and northeastern parts of the SCS, which was influenced primarily by the net surface heat flux and by horizontal thermal advection. The negative SSTA in the northeastern SCS was caused mainly by the loss of heat to the atmosphere and because of the cold-water advection from the western Pacific through the Luzon Strait during El Niño episodes. Conversely, it was found that the anomalous large-scale atmospheric circulation and weakened western boundary current during El Niño episodes led to the development of the positive SSTA in the southwestern SCS.