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| In this paper, the seasonal variation of the low-level atmospheric eddy kinetic energy (EKE) over the South China Sea (SCS) and its influences on the tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over this region were investigated. Different seasonal cycles of the low-level atmospheric EKE were identified between the northern and southern SCS. Although the minimum EKE occurred in the transition season of spring (March-May) in both northern and southern SCS, July-September were the most active EKE months over the northern SCS, while October-December were for the southern SCS. The energy processes for generation and maintenance of the low-level atmospheric EKE were analyzed based on the EKE tendency equation. Results suggested that eddy geopotential flux term made the largest contribution to the seasonal variation of EKE over the northern SCS, while the largest contributor was from the barotropic energy conversion term over the southern SCS. The months with the most active EKE coincided with the months with the maximum precipitation rate and TC formation number in both northern and southern SCS. TC formations over the SCS were closely related to the EKE tendency associated with the barotropic energy conversion. Regions of enhanced barotropic energy conversion favor the development of synoptic disturbances, which may further grow into TCs. By examining the relative importance of different components in the barotropic energy conversion term, the component associated with the shear of the zonal wind made the largest contribution over the northern SCS; by contrast, the largest contributor to enhanced barotropic energy conversions came from the component related with the convergence of the meridional wind over the southern SCS.????? |
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| Keywords:South China Sea regional climate; seasonal variation; atmospheric eddy kinetic energy; tropical cyclone genesis |
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