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Advances in research of the mid-deep South China Sea circulation

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Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) is a large marginal sea connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans. Under the factors of monsoons, strait transport, and varied bathymetry, the SCS presents a three-layer structure and strong diapycnal mixing which is far greater than that in the open ocean. Theoretical analysis and observations reveal that internal tides, internal solitary waves, and strong winds are the sources of the strong mixing in the northern SCS. A major consequence of the strong mixing is an active mid-deep circulation system. This system promotes exchange of water between the SCS and adjacent oceans, and also regulates the upper layer of wind-driven circulation, making the 3 dimensional SCS circulation clearly different from that in other tropical and subtropical marginal seas. The mass transport capacity of the mid-deep circulation has a substantial impact on marine sedimentation, the biogeochemical cycle, and other processes in the SCS. This paper summarizes the recent advances in mid-deep sea circulation dynamics of the SCS, and discusses the opportunities and challenges in this area.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC1405701), the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, CAS (Grant No. QYZDJ-SSW-DQC022), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41521005, 41730535, 41776036, 41676001 & 41776026), and the National Key Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2017YFA0603201).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Dongxiao Wang, Qiang Wang, Shuqun Cai, ** Gan

  2. College of Marine Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    **nong **e & Hui Chen

  3. College of Oceanic and Earth, **amen University, **amen, 361102, China

    Rui Zhang

Authors
  1. Dongxiao Wang
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  2. Qiang Wang
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  3. Shuqun Cai
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  4. **aodong Shang
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  5. Shiqiu Peng
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  6. Yeqiang Shu
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  7. **gen **ao
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  8. **aohui **e
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  9. Zhiwei Zhang
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  10. Zhiqiang Liu
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  11. Jian Lan
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  12. Dake Chen
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  13. Huijie Xue
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  14. Guihua Wang
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  15. Jian** Gan
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  16. **nong **e
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  17. Rui Zhang
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  18. Hui Chen
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  19. Qingxuan Yang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dongxiao Wang or Qiang Wang.

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Wang, D., Wang, Q., Cai, S. et al. Advances in research of the mid-deep South China Sea circulation. Sci. China Earth Sci. 62, 1992–2004 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-019-9546-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-019-9546-3

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