Journal of Oceanography

, Volume 69, Issue 5, pp 557–570 | Cite as

Ocean variability along the southern coast of Java and Lesser Sunda Islands

Original Article
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

The sea surface height data from 1992 through 2012 in the Eastern Indian Ocean, the 6 sets of hydrographic data sparsely spanning 1990–2001 in water south of Java–Bali, and the 24 shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data across the Ombai Strait during 1997–2000 were used as a combined dataset to understand sea level and current variability along the southern coast of Java and Lesser Sunda Islands. The first two dominant empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes capture combined seasonal with interannual and seasonal variability that account for 44.5 and 19.9 % of the total variances caused by El Niño Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole events, and by the seasonal change of the Asian monsoon, respectively. The geostrophic current and ADCP data show that the eastward and westward currents are distinguishable via the vertical profiles of current velocity. The eastward-flowing South Java Current (SJC) is characterized by a large vertical shear and shallower diminishing depth of about 150 m and it is increased to 300 m in the presence of the Indian Ocean Kelvin Waves (IOKWs). In contrast, the westward current is dominated by the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) with no vertical shear and has uniform current in the upper 300 m layer. The coastally trapped SJC and IOKWs are responsible for the eastward current. The SJC is not observed in the westward current because of non-existence of coastally trapped modes. The ITF and SJC generate persistent cyclonic (cold) and anticyclonic (warm) mesoscale eddies, respectively, in waters south of eastern Java.

Keywords

South Java Current Indonesian Throughflow Indian Ocean Kelvin Waves Seasonal variability Interannual variability Mesoscale eddies 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions that improved this paper. We express sincere thanks to Ms. Zhou Yuan for her contribution to make it possible to analyze the along-track shipboard ADCP data crossing the Indonesian Seas during 1997–2000. We thank the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for providing the first author with a fellowship award whilst finishing the manuscript at Hiroshima University, Japan from 18 June to 14 August 2012. We also thank the management of Baruna Jaya group in BPPT for the use of hydrographic datasets during 1990–2001, and the captain and crews of the M.V. First Jupiter. The CLS Space Oceanography Division provided the merged T/P and ERS-1/2 altimeter data.

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Copyright information

© The Oceanographic Society of Japan and Springer Japan 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT)JakartaIndonesia
  2. 2.Graduate School of Engineering Hiroshima UniversityHigashi-HiroshimaJapan

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