# Submesoscale daily data from a non-hydrostatic OGCM at 1/90° resolution over Northern South China Sea in 2019

## TL;DR

This study presents high-resolution ocean simulations for the Northern South China Sea in 2019 to better understand submesoscale processes.

## Contribution

A non-hydrostatic OGCM at 1/90° resolution improves simulation accuracy for submesoscale oceanic features.

## Key findings

- Non-hydrostatic calculations enhance simulation accuracy for small-scale oceanic features like internal tides.
- The dataset outperforms hydrostatic OGCM simulations in capturing submesoscale phenomena.
- The model effectively simulates interactions among multi-scale processes in the Northern South China Sea.

## Abstract

Numerical simulations of oceanic variations at submesoscale spatial scales are essential for understanding dynamic characteristics of the Northern South China Sea (NSCS). Currently, the spatial resolution and accuracy of available reanalysis and simulation datasets are still inadequate to comprehensively capture submesoscale processes, leading to an incomplete depiction of the region’s detailed dynamic characteristics. In this study, a regional oceanic simulation dataset at (1/90) ° × (1/90) ° spatial and daily temporal resolutions for the year 2019 is produced based on a non-hydrostatic ocean general circulation model (OGCM). Assessments from an idealized experiment suggest that non-hydrostatic calculations can improve the simulation accuracy of high-resolution OGCMs for small-scale oceanic features, such as internal tides or submesoscale phenomena. Comparisons with the observations demonstrate that simulations from the non-hydrostatic OGCM are generally more accurate than those from hydrostatic OGCM. Along with its good performance in simulating dynamic processes in the NSCS, this dataset can enhance understanding of the dynamical patterns and interactions among multi-scale processes, including large-scale circulation, mesoscale eddies, and submesoscale phenomena.