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Article: Seasonal Influence of Indonesian Throughflow in the Southwestern Indian Ocean
- Article from:
- Journal of Physical Oceanography
- Article date:
- July 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Meteorological Society Jul 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT
The influence of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) on the dynamics and the thermodynamics in the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO) is studied by analyzing a forced ocean model simulation for the Indo-Pacific region. The warm ITF waters reach the subsurface SWIO from August to early December, with a detectable influence on weakening the vertical stratification and reducing the stability of the water column. As a dynamical consequence, baroclinic instabilities and oceanic intraseasonal variabilities (OISVs) are enhanced. The temporal and spatial scales of the OISVs are determined by the ITF-modified stratification. Thermodynamically, the ITF waters influence the subtle balance between ...