Drivers of Layered Circulations in the South China Sea: Volume Flux or Vorticity Flux?

Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) features a unique layered circulation structure known as the cyclonic-anticyclonic-cyclonic (CAC) pattern, whose driving mechanisms remain a subject of debate. This study employs idealized numerical simulations using the MITgcm to investigate the role of volume flux and vorticity flux through the Luzon Strait (LS) to the SCS circulation. The control experiment successfully reproduces the observed "sandwiched" transport structure at the LS and the CAC circulation within the SCS. Sensitivity experiments, in which planetary vorticity is set to zero in the Pacific and LS, reveal that the CAC structure is insensitive to vorticity flux input. By applying the Stommel-Arons model to Cartesian coordinates, we provide analytical solutions that align with the simulation results, supporting the volume flux-driven hypothesis. Our findings suggest that the deep inflow through the LS is the primary driver of the layered circulation system, while the middle-layer outflow is a dynamical consequence. These results challenge the vorticity flux-driven hypothesis and offer new insights into the dynamics of layered circulations in the SCS.