The North Sulawesi Seas Water Masses Heat Content in 1995 – 2015

Abstract

The North Sulawesi Seas is the entrance gate of Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) which will be directly affected by the phenomenon occurring in the Pacific Ocean especially a El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This study aims to determine the heat content of the water mass in the North Sulawesi Seas as part of ITF. Main data is a temperature data derived from the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) reanalysis model with a resolution of 1/12°. In the North Sulawesi Seas found five types of a water masses its North Pacific Subtropical Water (NPSW), North Pacific Equatorial Water (NPEW), North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). The water mass heat content is calculated with the two different temperature systems for depth. Magnitudes for each heat content of water types calculated in this study for NPSW, NPEW, NPIW, AAIW, and AABW are in the range of 5,67 × 1013 J/m2 - 1,04 × 1015 J/m2, 22,62 × 1015 J/m2 - 8,26 × 1015 J/m2, 1,08 × 1015 J/m2 - 9,38 × 1015 J/m2, 2,17 × 1016 J/m2 - 3,33 × 1016 J/m2, and 8,11 × 1015 J/m2 - 1,89 × 1016 J/m2, respectively. The water mass heat content in the mixed and deep layer will decrease (increase) when the La-Niña (El-Niño), while in the thermocline layer will decrease (increase) when the El-Niño (La-Niña) phenomenon.