Seasonal variations of air-sea heat fluxes and sea surface temperature in the northwestern Pacific marginal seas

Abstract

Using a net surface heat flux (Qnet) product obtained from the objectively analyzed air-sea fluxes (OAFlux) project and the international satellite cloud climatology project (ISCCP), and temperature from the simple ocean data assimilation (SODA), the seasonal variations of the air-sea heat fluxes in the northwestern Pacific marginal seas (NPMS) and their roles in sea surface temperature (SST) seasonality are studied. The seasonal variations of Qnet, which is generally determined by the seasonal cycle of latent heat flux (LH), are in response to the advection-induced changes of SST over the Kuroshio and its extension. Two dynamic regimes are identified in the NPMS: one is the area along the Kuroshio and its extension, and the other is the area outside the Kuroshio. The oceanic thermal advection dominates the variations of SST and hence the sea-air humidity plays a primary role and explains the maximum heat losing along the Kuroshio. The heat transported by the Kuroshio leads to a longer period of heat losing over the Kuroshio and its Extension. Positive anomaly of heat content corresponds with the maximum heat loss along the Kuroshio. The oceanic advection controls the variations of heat content and hence the surface heat flux. This study will help us understand the mechanism controlling variations of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system in the NPMS. In the Kuroshio region, the ocean current controls the ocean temperature along the main stream of the Kuroshio, and at the same time, forces the air-sea fluxes.