Characteristics of Circulation in an Indonesian Archipelago Strait from Hydrography, Current Measurements and Modeling Results
Abstract
The Lombok Strait, a gap in the lower Indonesian Archipelago, provides a major pathway for water flow from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. A global reduced gravity model predicts annual mean sea levels 15-20 cm higher at the Pacific Oceans entrance to the Indonesian Seas then sea levels in the Indian Ocean south of the archipelago straits. Consistent with this regional pressure gradient, Pacific core layers of the Northern Subtropical Central Water and the North Pacific Intermediate Water are traced southward from the Makassar Strait into the Lombok Strait. Maps of oceanographic data such as temperature, salinity, and density distributions and sea surface dynamic heights in the Lombok Strait also indicate a persistent southward flow of appreciable magnitude. Current meter arrays in the north strait provide direct measurements of southward currents which persist through most of the year and are concentrated in the upper few hundred meters. Maximum sustained speeds of over 70cm/sec occur from July to September with a long of weak currents from mid-October 1985 through January 1986. Tropical cyclones in the Timor Sea force strong northward flow reversals. The wind-forced numerical model identifies the westward wind stress int he Timor Sea as the major cause of the annual cycle of current in the Strait.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA231087
Entities
People
- Dharma Arief
- Harley E. Hurlburt
- John C. Kindle
- Stephen P. Murray
- W. A. Kuperman
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory