Life cycle of intraseasonal oscillation of summer SST in the western South China Sea

Intraseasonal oscillation (ISO, times-cales of 30 similar to 90 d) of summer sea surface temperature (SST) in the western South China Sea is studied using harmonic and empirical orthogonal function analyses of microwave observations by the tropical rainfall measuring mission satellite. Each summer from May to September, two or three ISO events occur off South Vietnam, with a typical period of approximately 50 d. The life cycle of these events from the initiation to decay of SST anomalies is described.