The Response of Chlorophyll to Mesoscale Eddies in the Eastern South China Sea

The response of surface chlorophyll concentration to mesoscale eddies varies over eddy lifecycles. Based on the eddy and satellite data from 2003 to 2016, this research composites temporal evolutions of surface chlorophyll concentration associated with mesoscale eddies generated in the eastern South China Sea. Spatial patterns of chlorophyll concentration over eddy lifecycles are compared in three regions: Luzon Strait, area off northwest Luzon Island and area off west Luzon Island. Four primary mechanisms (i.e., eddy advection, eddy trapping, eddy pumping and eddy-induced Ekman pumping) that potentially regulate surface chlorophyll concentration over eddy lifecycles are quantified and compared in these three regions. This research contributes our understanding on different processes that influences the surface chlorophyll concentration in this region and thus helps us disentangle the role played by mesoscale eddies on modifying chlorophyll over their entire lifecycles.