What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine the relative contributions of remote Pacific forcing via the Indonesian Throughflow versus local wind forcing on interannual-to-decadal sea level and heat content variability in the southern Indian Ocean.

February 10, 2022Ocean scienceOpen Access

Interannual variability of sea level in the southern Indian Ocean: local vs. remote forcing mechanisms

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To determine the relative contributions of remote Pacific forcing via the Indonesian Throughflow versus local wind forcing on interannual-to-decadal sea level and heat content variability in the southern Indian Ocean.
Integrated a general circulation model, an analytic linear reduced-gravity model, and observational datasets across interannual to decadal timescales.
Performed a sensitivity numerical experiment by artificially closing the Indonesian straits to eliminate the ocean pathway connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Closing the Indonesian Throughflow reduced the amplitude of sea level fluctuations across the southern Indian Ocean while preserving their underlying spatial and temporal patterns.
Simulations with and without open Indonesian straits maintained strong correlations with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, demonstrating that local wind forcing driven by atmospheric teleconnections dictates dominant variability.
Pacific-origin oceanic signals primarily amplify the magnitude of sea level, heat content, and meridional transport anomalies rather than shaping their geographic distribution.

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Implication

Numerical modeling study reveals local winds drive sea level variability in the southern Indian Ocean, suggesting Pacific inflows primarily amplify these fluctuations.

Cite This Study

Kersalé et al. (2022) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a127457f7bd4f5c7da656ff https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-193-2022

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Implication

Numerical modeling study reveals local winds drive sea level variability in the southern Indian Ocean, suggesting Pacific inflows primarily amplify these fluctuations.

Interannual variability of sea level in the southern Indian Ocean: local vs. remote forcing mechanisms

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Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Interannual variability of sea level in the southern Indian Ocean: local vs. remote forcing mechanisms

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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