PRELIMINARY STUDY OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERANNUAL VARIATIONS OF SST IN SOUTH CHINA SEA AND TROPICAL INDIAN OCEAN AND SOUTH CHINA SEA MONSOON OUTBREAK

Conclusions are divided regarding the role of the variations of thermodynamics in the monsoon activity for the South China Sea region. In this study, primary eigenvectors are studied for the SSTA from East Asia to the tropical eastern Indian Ocean in May. The results show that temperature anomalies that center on Sumatra are closely related with the outbreak of the South China Sea monsoon. When the SST is warmer (cooler) than average year, it is likely that the monsoon set in late (early). It may be caused by the changes in meridional difference in thermodynamics between the Indochina Peninsula and its southern tropical oceans. Studying the temporal and spatial evolution of primary eigenvector distribution of the SSTA in the South China Sea-tropical eastern Indian Ocean from winter to summer, we find that the temperature anomalies that center around Sumatra in late spring and early summer can be traced back to the variations of the SST fields in the South China Sea in the preceding winter. Being well associated with the outbreak of the South China Sea monsoon, the latter is a signifi-cant index for it. The work helps understanding the atmospheric and oceanic background against which the South China Sea monsoon breaks out and behaves.