Meta-learning-based estimation of the barrier layer thickness in the tropical Indian Ocean

Abstract

Abstract Accurately estimating the barrier layer thickness (BLT) is crucial for enhancing our understanding of the ocean’s role in climate variability on both regional and global scales. Here, we propose a meta-learning-based ensemble model to estimate the BLT using satellite observations in the tropical Indian Ocean. The results show that the meta-learning-based ensemble model outperforms the three individual models in terms of spatial distribution and accuracy, with significantly reduced root mean square errors in the Southeast Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean. Furthermore, we found that sea surface salinity plays the most significant role in the estimation of BLT, highlighting the dominant influence of salinity stratification. These preliminary results provide an insight into the feasibility of predicting the BLT using satellite observations and have implications for studying the upper ocean dynamics using machine learning techniques.