Hydrographic control on subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the northern South China Sea in autumn

Xiang GONG; Hui LIU; Xun GONG; Jiyao LIU; Huiwang GAO

doi:10.1007/s00343-024-4058-0

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Hydrographic control on subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the northern South China Sea in autumn

Ecology | Updated：2025-08-07

- Hydrographic control on subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the northern South China Sea in autumn
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 43, Issue 4, Pages: 1213-1226(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
  2.Qingdao Innovation Center of Artificial Intelligence Ocean Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
  3.Institute for Advanced Marine Research, China University of Geosciences, Guangzhou 511462, China
  4.State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
  5.Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Computer Networks, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China
  6.Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266100, China
  7.Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266071, China
- Author bio：
  
  gongxun@cug.edu.cn
  hwgao@ouc.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-024-4058-0
  CLC：
- Received：28 February 2024，
  
  Published：01 July 2025
- Accepted：
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GONG Xiang,LIU Hui,GONG Xun,et al.Hydrographic control on subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the northern South China Sea in autumn[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(04):1213-1226.
DOI：

GONG Xiang,LIU Hui,GONG Xun,et al.Hydrographic control on subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the northern South China Sea in autumn[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(04):1213-1226. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-024-4058-0.

摘要

Abstract

As a frequently-observed phenomenon in the northern South China Sea (nSCS)

subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) evolution from summer to winter remains unclear

neither the associated hydrographic control. In this study

on the basis of in-situ data of fall-season cruises in 2004‍‍‍–‍2006

we characterized the depth

thickness and intensity of the SCM in the nSCS using a general Gaussian-function fitting approach

and investigated a linkage to the corresponding ocean vertical buoyance properties. Our results show that the SCM becomes deeper

thicker and less intense offshore-wards in the nSCS during fall seasons. In parallel

a correlation between the SCM variation and mixed layer depth exists in the nSCS

and it becomes pronounced in the shelf region compared to the slope and basin areas in autumn. Physically

once warmer surface ocean and thus stronger thermo-determined stratification

the SCM layer goes deeper and becomes thicker and less intense in the nSCS

especially in the shelf area of the nSCS. Moreover

the impact of water temperatures at deeper layers on the vertical stratification exerts more consequent roles on the spatial variability of SCM

compared to surface temperatures in the nSCS. Specifically

the isotherm line of 22 °‍‍C acts as crucial indicator for variations of the SCM in the nSCS during autumns.

关键词

Keywords

references

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