Harmonic analysis of sea surface temperature and wind stress in the vicinity of the maritime continent

The optimum interpolation sea surface temperature (OISST) data and ERS-12 wind data are analyzed using a harmonic analysis method to determine amplitudes and phases of the annual and semi-annual cycles of SST, zonal wind stress and meridional wind stress in the vicinity of the maritime continent.The annual cycle of SST is dominated by the seasonal variability of the solar radiation.The semi-annual cycle is mainly affected by seasonally reversed monsoons.The phases of SST's annual and semi-annual cycles have certain propagating features from the Indian Ocean to the northwestern Pacific in the Northern Hemisphere.Annual and semi-annual cycles of wind stress and wind speed have high amplitude value centers which just are the centers of each monsoon areas.For phase propagating direction, by contrast with SST, the annual cycle of the wind stress reverses the direction, and the semi-annual cycle wind stress has a little different propagating direction.In the Northern Hemisphere, except the southern South China Sea, the phase of the annual cycle of wind stress reaches its maximum 6 pentads earlier than that of SST's.