Abstract. In this paper, a rough set theory is introduced to represent spatial-temporal relationships and extract the corresponding rules from typical mesoscale-eddy states in the South China Sea (SCS). Three decision attributes are adopted in this study, which make the approach flexible in retrieving spatial-temporal rules with different features. The results demonstrate that this approach is effective, and therefore provides a powerful approach to forecasts in the future studies. Spatial-temporal rules in the SCS indicate that warm eddies following the rules are generally in the southeastern and central SCS around 2000 m isobaths in winter. Their intensity and vorticity are weaker than those of cold eddies. They usually move a shorter distance. By contrast, cold eddies are in 2000 m and deeper regions of the southwestern and northeastern SCS in spring and fall. Their intensity and vorticity are strong. Usually they move a long distance. In winter, a few rules are followed by cold eddies in the northern tip of the basin and southwest of Taiwan Island rather than warm eddies, indicating cold eddies may be well-regulated in the region. Several warm-eddy rules are achieved west of Luzon Island, indicating warm eddies may be well-regulated in the region as well. Otherwise, warm and cold eddies are distributed not only in the jet flow off southern Vietnam induced by intraseasonal wind stress in summer-fall, but also in the northern shallow water, which should be a focus of a future study.
Extraction of spatial-temporal rules from mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea based on rough set theory