Spring mesoscale high in the western South China Sea

A recurring spring mesoscale eddy in the western South China Sea (SCS) is studied using remote sensing data and historical in situ observations. The feature first appears east of the central Vietnam coast in February as a high sea-level anomaly, grows rapidly to a well-developed anticyclonic eddy by March, matures in April, and decays in May. Besides the warm-core feature, it also has an inherent low-salinity property, so it is named “spring mesoscale high (SMH)”. Though with clear interannual variation in terms of intensity and spatial coverage, the SMH always emerges in the region between 110°E and 114°E and between 12°N and 16°N. The formation of SMH is ascribed to the combined effects of wind forcing and releasing of potential energy set up by winter monsoon. In particular, the wind-stress curl plays an important role in its development, maintenance, and dissipation.