SEASONAL VARIATIONS OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITIES OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEIR COMPARATIVE ANALYSES IN THE STRONG AND WEAK CONVECTION YEARS^*

The seasonal variations of convective activities over the South China Sea(SCS) and its neighborhood.as well as the similarities and differences of convection in the different key regions during the strong and weak convection years are analyzed by using the pentad data of TBB from 1980 to 1993.The results show that in winter and summer the seasonal variations of the convective activities are synchronous over the SCS and its neighborhood,the anomalous convection amplitudes are obviously different in different regions.The significant extents of convective activities have somewhat seasonal differences in the strong and weak convection years.In the strong convection years,it is in winter,spring and autumn that the convection anomaly is more evident than that in the normal years,however,after the summer monsoon onset the convection is sustained.stable and similar to that in the normal years.In the weak convection years.the convection weakens greatly in each season.but the primary weakening occurs in spring.summer and autumn.No matter in the strong or the weak convection years.the convective activities are somewhat of difference in the Bay of Bengal.the Indochina Peninsula.the SCS and the Philippines.In addition.the convective activities are also different over the south and the north parts of the SCS.the convection variation in the strong year is similar to that in the weak year over the north part of the SCS.but over the south part there are great differences.