The interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in the South China Sea (SCS) exhibits two warming peaks around January and August in the subsequent year of El Niño (EN). Results show that the second basin-scale summer SST warming feature peaked in August [+1] is only distinct following strong EN events, not regular events. Heat budget analysis demonstrates that the abnormal Goa can induce the warm tendency in June [+1], by reducing the Vietnam coastal upwelling, and the abnormal Ekman advection (Eka) and geostrophic advection (Goa) are dominant roles of the second warming feature. In addition, the abnormal Eka and Goa in the SCS are attributed to the advanced abnormal easterly wind breakout in the western Pacific, coincided with the development of Western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone (WNPAC) in response to strong El Niño. This suggests that the second warming feature of SCS SST is the footprints of strong EN events via the establishment of the WNPAC tightly related to Indo-Pacific remote processes.
 

Strong El Niño; Summer SST warming; Easterly breakout; WNPAC