Analysis of upwelling event in Southern Makassar Strait

Abstract

The southeast monsoon (SEM) winds which blow in southern Makassar Strait, generate the coastal upwelling phenomenon. The wind data for one year, which is equipped with CTD data from MAJAFLOX cruise results, is used to analyze the phenomenon of upwelling in this region. During the SEM 2015 occurrence, the southeasterly winds speed were in average of 6 m/s, while the highest speed appeared in August and September. Using the Ekman theory’s analysis of upwelling during this monsoon period, we could estimate the Ekman transport was about 8.50 m2/s toward offshore (to the Southwest direction); the upwelled water, occurred from deeper layer, started from the coastal area with vertical velocity was about 6.87 x 10-5 m/s – 7.84 x 10-5 m/s; and The Ekman layer depth in the upwelling region was approximately 60 m and these were good agreement with CTD observation result.