Interannual Variability of Winter Sea Levels Induced by Local Wind Stress in the Northeast Asian Marginal Seas: 1993–2017

Abstract

The interannual variability of winter sea levels averaged over the northeast Asian marginal seas, consisting of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the East Sea (ES), was investigated. The spatial-mean sea level in winter observed using satellite altimetry shows significant interannual variations with a long-term rising trend of 3.88 mm y−1 during 1993–2017, with relatively high (Period H) and low (Period L) sea level anomalies. These anomalies correlate with the patterns of the East Asian winter monsoon at interannual timescales. The atmospheric pressure difference between the Sea of Okhotsk (SO) and ES around the Soya Strait is large during Period H. Ekman transport increases due to enhanced southeastward wind stress and results in a horizontal mass convergence that yields positive sea level anomalies during Period H. In contrast, the wind-induced transport is enhanced in the southern ES rather than in the southern SO resulting in horizontal mass divergence and negative anomalies in the spatial-mean winter sea level during Period L. Our results highlight the important roles of local wind forcing and Ekman dynamics in inducing interannual winter sea level variability in the region indicating the high predictive ability of atmospheric pressure anomalies around the Soya Strait.