Energy transmission pathways of equatorial waves and associated
dissipation process in the Maritime Continent
Abstract
Detailed pathway of wave energy exchange between the Pacific and Indian
Oceans through the Indonesian archipelago and associated energy
dissipation are investigated by using a reduced gravity model with
realistic coastline. The wave energy flux analysis that can be
applicable for all latitudes in a linear shallow water system is
adopted. The energy fluxes diagnosed from the model outputs for the
incoming Rossby waves from the Pacific clearly indicate two major energy
pathways to the Indian Ocean; one turning southward in the Halmahera Sea
and reaches the Indian Ocean via the Banda Sea and the Timor Passage,
the other passing through the Makassar and Lombok Straits. The former
route, however, is shifted to the western side of the island chain
within the Banda Sea due to energy trapping around the island chain. It
is also found that strong energy dissipation occurs along the northern
coast of New Guinea when the period of the incoming Rossby wave is
shorter than 1.5 year. In the case of the Kelvin waves from the Indian
Ocean, it is found that the major energy pathway is through the Lombok
and Makassar Straits to the Pacific Ocean. However, there appears
another pathway along the eastern side of the Sulawesi Island in the
Banda Sea to exit through the Molucca Sea only when the wave period is
shorter than about one month. This secondary pathway makes it easier for
the wave energy from the Indian Ocean to reach the western Pacific Ocean
for the short period waves.