Diagnostic calculations and discussions on main outflow passage of South China Sea

Based on the constraints of mass,heat and salt conservations,an optimized box model is developed to identify the main outflow passage of the South China Sea.The physical meaning of the box model is described in detail.The diagnostic calculations shows that the Kalimantan Strait is the main outflow passage which is the most efficient pathway to balance the huge mount of heat flux and large precipitation gains in the surface layer.The results are confirmed by an inverse method,in which the details of dynamics and thermohaline structures are considered.Optimization is the most efficient way to estimate the heat and salt budgets.The structure of velocity distribution across the Luzon Strait is also revealed by the inverse method.