Articles | Volume 21, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3361-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3361-2025
Research article
 | 
10 Dec 2025
Research article |  | 10 Dec 2025

Interannual variability of summertime cross-isobath exchanges in the northern South China Sea: ENSO and riverine influences

Yunping Song, Yuxin Lin, Peng Zhan, Zhiqiang Liu, and Zhongya Cai

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Cited articles

Chen, C. T. A., Wang, S. L., Wang, B. J., and Pai, S. C.: Nutrient budgets for the South China Sea basin, Marine Chemistry, 75, 281–300, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-4203(01)00041-x, 2001. 
Dawson, A.: EOFS: A library for EOF analysis of meteorological, oceanographic, and climate data, Journal of Open Research Software, 4, 14, https://doi.org/10.5334/jors.122, 2016. 
Deng, Y., Liu, Z., Zu, T., Hu, J., Gan, J., Lin, Y., Li, Z., Quan, Q., and Cai, Z.: Climatic Controls on the Interannual Variability of Shelf Circulation in the Northern South China Sea, Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 127, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jc018419, 2022. 
Egbert, G. D. and Erofeeva, S. Y.: Efficient inverse Modeling of barotropic ocean tides, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 19, 183–204, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(2002)019<0183:EIMOBO>2.0.CO;2, 2002. 
Environment Protection Department of Hong Kong: Marine Water Quality Monitoring Data, Environmental Protection Interactive Centre [data set], https://cd.epic.epd.gov.hk/EPICRIVER/marine/?lang=en (last access: last access: 1 December 2025), 2024. 
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Short summary
To study summer coastal current changes in the Northern South China Sea (NSCS), we analyzed 2000–2022 observations and simulations, focusing on El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pearl River freshwater impacts. During El Niño, uneven sea levels between the central and southern South China Sea strengthened northward currents. The Pearl River’s freshwater plume extended farther east, reducing nearshore salinity. Our findings highlight how local and remote factors interact to shape NSCS circulation dynamics.
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