A POSSIBLE IMPACT OF EL NINO MODOKI ON SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF CHINA'S OFFSHORE AND ITS ADJACENT REGIONS

El Nino Modoki, similar to but different from canonical El Nino, has been observed since the late 1970s. In this paper, using HadISST and NCEP/NCAR wind data, we analyze the relationship between El Nino Modoki and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the offshore area of China and its adjacent waters for different seasons. Our results show a significant negative correlation between El Nino Modoki in summer and SST in autumn in the offshore area of China and its adjacent waters, particularly for regions located in the east of the Kuroshio. It is also found that during El Nino Modoki period, anomalous northerlies prevail over the regions from the northern part of the Philippines to the offshore area of China, indicating that the northerlies are unfavorable for the transport of warm water from the western tropical Pacific to the mid-latitude area. Consequently, El Nino Modoki in summer may play a substantial role in cold SST anomalies in the offshore area of China and its adjacent waters in autumn through the influence of the Kuroshio, with a lagged response of the ocean to the atmospheric wind field.