Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2018, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (2): 1-9.doi: 10.11978/2017059CSTR: 32234.14.2017059

• Orginal Article •     Next Articles

On the generation and propagation of internal tides in the Indonesian Seas

Yi LIU1,2(), Xiaowei WANG3, Shiqiu PENG1,2,4()   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Guangzhou 510301, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3. Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
    4. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Qinzhou University, Qinzhou 535011, China;
  • Received:2017-05-22 Revised:2017-10-18 Online:2018-04-10 Published:2018-04-11
  • Supported by:
    The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST) (2014CB953904);Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA11010304);National Natural Science Foundation of China (41376021, 41676016, 41521005);Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (20150217);Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (201607020043)

Abstract:

The generation and propagation of internal tides in the Indonesian Seas are investigated by using a three-dimensional ocean model of MITgcm. We find that diurnal tides prevail in the Sulawesi Sea and in the northwestern Pacific, whereas semi-diurnal tides are dominant in the Makassar Strait, Ombai Strait, Timor Sea, and northeastern Indian Ocean. The normalized amplitude of internal tides maximizes near the thermocline in the Sulawesi Sea, Makassar Strait, Ombai Strait, Maluku Sea, Banda Sea, northeastern Indian Ocean, and northwestern Pacific with values of about 20~40 m, whereas it maximizes near the depth of 200 m in the Timor Sea with a value of about 25~30 m. The Sangihe Sill, Seram Sea, Ombai Strait, and Timor Sea are the four major sites of internal tide generation, where the depth-integrated baroclinic energy flux reaches 40 kW·m-1. The internal tide energy in the Sulu Sea is mainly generated from the conversion of local barotropic tides, whereas that in the Sulawesi Sea and Banda Sea is from remotely generated internal tides.

Key words: Indonesian Seas, barotropic tide, internal tide, energy flux