Abstract
The steric sea level ( SLA steric), water-mass change ( SLA mass) and their contributions to the sea level anomaly ( SLA) in the South China Sea (SCS) are studied by using altimetry data, Ishii data and GRACE data. Annual harmonic results and correlation analysis indicate that the SLA steric has a significant contribution to the SLA over deep basin and that its phase leads SLA 1–3 months in different parts of the SCS, whereas the SLA mass explains the SLA to a great extent over shallow water areas. The area-averaged SLA in the western SCS has an amplitude of ∼ 7.6 cm and a phase of ∼ 360°, which is ∼ 3.8 cm higher and peaks ∼ 108° later than SLA steric. The SLA mass has an amplitude of ∼ 6.3 cm and a phase of ∼ 337°. The simultaneous correlation coefficient between SLA and SLA mass is 0.78, which indicates that mass variation dominates the sea-level variation in the western SCS. Unlike the western SCS, the area-averaged SLA in the central SCS peaks at 254° with a smaller amplitude of ∼ 3.3 cm, which is ∼ 1.8 cm lower and peaks ∼ 15 days later than corresponding SLA steric. The simultaneous correlation coefficient between SLA and SLA steric is 0.81; therefore, the contribution of steric variation to the sea-level variation is dominant in the central SCS.
Published Version
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