Seasonal and Inter-annual Variability of Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Surface Wind in the Eastern Part of Indonesian Sea: Ten Years Analysis of Satellite Remote Sensing Data.
Seasonal and Inter-annual Variability of Sea Surface Temperature and
Sea Surface Wind in the Eastern Part of Indonesian Sea: Ten Years
Analysis of Satellite Remote Sensing Data
I Dewa Nyoman Nurweda Putra*a,b and Tasuku Tanakaa
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Yamaguchi, 755-8611
Yamaguchi Ken, Ube Shi Tokiwadai 2-16-1, Japan; bUniversity of Udayana, Bali, Indonesia 80234
a
ABSTRACT
The overall objective of this study is to gain an improved understanding of the sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface
wind speed (WS) and sea surface wind direction (WD) variability in the Eastern part of Indonesian Sea in response to the
seasonal and inter-annual variations. The statistical properties and monthly average data for the 10-year period from
December 1999-November 2009 in the Eastern part of Indonesian Sea are investigated by integrated use of TRMM
Microwave Imager (TMI) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and SeaWinds on the Quik
Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite remote sensing data. The time series shows a high variability (unstable areas) of
SST and WS in the southern equatorial (120o-135oE and 3oS-18oS) in contrast with the stable SST condition around
equatorial and other regions. This condition related to the effect of the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) and the prevailing
winds in the Indonesian inland seas, which is WD varies seasonally. North-south (zonal) change of SST and WS are
observed. These overall analyses confirm several characteristics of the Eastern part of Indonesian Sea.
Keywords: TMI, QuikSCAT, SST, WS, Eastern-Indonesian Sea.
1. INTRODUCTION
The monitoring of large scale patterns of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind speed (WS) and sea surface
wind direction (WD) has become possible through the rapid advancement of satellite remote-sensing techniques over the
last few decades. The TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and
SeaWinds on the Quik Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellites are kind of such advances, providing more than 10 years
(December 1997 to the present time) observations data distributed over global ocean at a pixel resolution of 0.25 deg
(~25 km)8. The QuickSCAT, however, continued to operate for a decade and stopped working circa 23 November 2009
due to the failure of the spin mechanism of the anntena1.
The Indonesian Sea, a semi-closed marginal sea, is located at the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean
between Asia and Australia continent (20S–20N 90–142E; Figure 1). The water is generally shallow (
Sea Surface Wind in the Eastern Part of Indonesian Sea: Ten Years
Analysis of Satellite Remote Sensing Data
I Dewa Nyoman Nurweda Putra*a,b and Tasuku Tanakaa
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Yamaguchi, 755-8611
Yamaguchi Ken, Ube Shi Tokiwadai 2-16-1, Japan; bUniversity of Udayana, Bali, Indonesia 80234
a
ABSTRACT
The overall objective of this study is to gain an improved understanding of the sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface
wind speed (WS) and sea surface wind direction (WD) variability in the Eastern part of Indonesian Sea in response to the
seasonal and inter-annual variations. The statistical properties and monthly average data for the 10-year period from
December 1999-November 2009 in the Eastern part of Indonesian Sea are investigated by integrated use of TRMM
Microwave Imager (TMI) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and SeaWinds on the Quik
Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite remote sensing data. The time series shows a high variability (unstable areas) of
SST and WS in the southern equatorial (120o-135oE and 3oS-18oS) in contrast with the stable SST condition around
equatorial and other regions. This condition related to the effect of the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) and the prevailing
winds in the Indonesian inland seas, which is WD varies seasonally. North-south (zonal) change of SST and WS are
observed. These overall analyses confirm several characteristics of the Eastern part of Indonesian Sea.
Keywords: TMI, QuikSCAT, SST, WS, Eastern-Indonesian Sea.
1. INTRODUCTION
The monitoring of large scale patterns of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind speed (WS) and sea surface
wind direction (WD) has become possible through the rapid advancement of satellite remote-sensing techniques over the
last few decades. The TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and
SeaWinds on the Quik Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellites are kind of such advances, providing more than 10 years
(December 1997 to the present time) observations data distributed over global ocean at a pixel resolution of 0.25 deg
(~25 km)8. The QuickSCAT, however, continued to operate for a decade and stopped working circa 23 November 2009
due to the failure of the spin mechanism of the anntena1.
The Indonesian Sea, a semi-closed marginal sea, is located at the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean
between Asia and Australia continent (20S–20N 90–142E; Figure 1). The water is generally shallow (