Three inflow pathways of the Indonesian throughflow as seen from the simple ocean data assimilation

Abstract

The SODA product is used to investigate three Indonesian throughflow (ITF) branches: the flow through the Makassar Strait; through the South China Sea; and through the eastern Indonesian basins. The results reveal strong interannual variation in the Makassar Strait and the eastern Indonesian basins throughflow. Inspection of vertically integrated dynamic height (0–1000 db), a proxy of transport function, suggests that this interannual variation can be traced to the New Guinea Coastal Current, indicative of a strong influence of the South Pacific. The vertically integrated dynamic height along the south Java coast is related to variation in the North Pacific and in particular near the east coast of Mindanao Island, whereas the vertically integrated dynamic height along the coast of West Australia is related to variation in the South Pacific, and in particular near the coast of New Guinea. The integrated dynamic height difference between the Java and New Guinea coast appears to be a good proxy of ITF transport on the interannual time scale. Regression analysis shows a phase dependence of the three ITF pathways on the Nino3.4 index. Decoupling of current anomalies between the surface and subsurface layers is identified in the developing and mature phase of El Nino, reflecting different effects of local and remote forcing through oceanic pathways at the Makassar Strait and eastern Indonesian basins.