Impacts of coastal upwelling off east Vietnam on the regional winds system: An air-sea-land interaction

In this study, we analyze the influence of coastal upwelling off southeast Vietnam (CUEV) on local wind field using numerical simulations based on atmospheric model of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF). Several scenarios are simulated by forcing identical model configurations with different SST fields. Based on simulation results, the relationship between CUEV and reduction of wind forcing is numerically evidenced. With the influence of a typical cold patch with a temperature drop of 3-5 °C, the local wind speeds can drop to less than 70% of original level. We find that the mechanism of response of the wind reduction to CUEV is enhancement of sea-breeze induced wind modulation. Onshore sea-breeze will enhance, while the contrast between land and sea is even more striking due to the contribution of a distinct coastal upwelling. This implies that air-sea-land interaction dominates the process of local wind system modulation in response to transient CUEV. This result sheds a new light on the air-sea interaction process within the SCS basin.