The wavelet analysis of satellite sea surface temperature in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean

Using wavelet transform, the sea surface temperature (SST) during the perio d of 1982-1999 of the South China Sea and the equatorial Pacific, from data sets of NOAA/AVHRR, was analyzed. It is shown that there are 4- and 8-year interannual oscillations in the eastern equatorial Pacific and 8-year inter annual oscillation in the western equatorial Pacific. In terms of attractiv e time-frequency localization and multi-scale properties of wavelet transfo rm, as shown by the Morlet wavelet, it is found that an in-phase coupling o scillation occurs between the SCS and the equatorial Pacific. The SST chang es of SCS will have echoed every event of El Nino (abnormally warm) and La Nina (abnormally cold) in the equatorial Pacific, There is a positive corre lation between the SCS and the western equatorial Pacific in the 8-year tim e-scale. Evidence is presented that the SSI anomalies of the equatorial Pac ific influence the SST of the SCS.