Barrier layer in the northeastern South China Sea and its formation mechanism

摘要

Robust evidence for the barrier layer (BL) in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS) (16 deg -25 deg N, 112 deg-124 deg E) is presented. The occurrence rate of the BL peaks in the autumn (45.7 percent) and then the summer (31.1 percent) and the spring (23.3 percent), sequently. It is estimated that the annual occurrence rate of the BL reaches about 40.0 percent in the central northeastern SCS (18 deg-22 deg N, 112 deg -120 deg E)-and the Luzon Strait. Stratification-formed (Rain-formed) mechanism is the major factor responsible for the occurrence of the BL in the northeastern SCS in the spring (the summer and autumn), respectively. The rainfall observation from TRMM provides reliable evidence for the latter.