Study of storm-induced changes in circulation and temperature over the northern South China Sea during Typhoon Linfa

Hydrodynamic responses of the northern South China Sea (nSCS) to Typhoon Linfa in 2009 are examined using observations and model results. A shelf circulation model based on the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS-nSCS) is used in quantifying the important physical processes affecting the storm-induced changes in circulation and hydrography in the upper ocean during Linfa. The ROMS-nSCS is forced by atmospheric forcing taken from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). A parametric vortex is inserted into the CFSR atmospheric forcing to improve winds and sea-level air pressures associated with Linfa. The lateral open boundary condition of ROMS-nSCS is specified based on the global ocean circulation reanalysis produced by the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). The simulated upper ocean circulation produced by ROMS-nSCS is characterized by strong wind-driven currents over the area affected directly by Linfa and intense near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) in the wake of Linfa. The simulated cooling in the wake of the storm is biased to the right of the storm track and agrees well with satellite-derived analysis data. The simulated NIOs also have significant rightward biases. The rotary spectral analysis of model currents demonstrates that the peak frequency fp of NIOs is about 9% greater than the local inertial frequency, which can be explained mostly by the vorticity of the background circulation. Analysis of model results also reveal that different dynamics are responsible for storm-induced cooling at different stages of Linfa. In the early development stage of Linfa, the cooling in the wake of the storm is affected mostly by the storm-induced advection in the vertical. In the mature stage of Linfa, the cooling in the wake of the storm is dominated by the joint effect of the storm-induced mixing and advection. Storm-induced warming occurs outside the wake of Linfa, due to downwelling generated by the storm. •Storm-induced changes in circulation and temperature during Typhoon Linfa were studied.•Both storm-induced upwelling and vertical mixing play important roles for cooling in the wake of Linfa.•Storm-induced cooling and near-inertial oscillations during Linfa are affected by background flow.