Tide- and wind-driven variability of water level in Sansha Bay, Fujian, China

Abstract

This study analyzes water-level variability in Sansha Bay and its adjacent waters near Fujian, China, using water-level data observed from seven stations along the coast and wind data observed from a moored buoy near Mazu Island. At super- to near-inertial frequencies, tides dominated the water-level variations, mainly characterized by semi-diurnal (primarily M₂, S₂, and N2) and diurnal tides (primarily K₁, O₁). The correlation coefficients between residual (non-tidal) water-level time series and the observed wind-stress time series exceeded 0.78 at all stations, hinting that the wind acting on the study region was another factor modulating the water-level variability. A cross-wavelet and wavelet-coherence analysis further indicated that (i) the residual water level at each station was more coherent and out-of-phase with the alongshore winds mostly at sub-inertial time scales associated with synoptic weather changes; and (ii) the residual water-level difference between the outer and inner bay was more coherent with the cross-shore winds at discrete narrow frequency bands, with the wind leading by a certain phase. The analysis also implied that the monsoon relaxation period was more favorable for the formation of the land-sea breeze, modulating the residual water-level difference.

Keywords

residual water level / tide / wind / Sansha Bay

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