Wind driven circulation in Makassar Strait during monsoon 2017

Abstract

Abstract The Makassar Strait (MS) connects the Pacific Ocean and Indonesia Waters via the Indonesia throughflow system. The flow varies because MS is also influenced by the monsoon. To determine the monsoon effect, we applied the two-dimensional numerical model with 6 hourly wind data. It was used to predict the MS current circulation during February, April, August, and October. According to recent studies, the results showed a good verification. The currents in the MS were dominated from the north of MS. The currents moved to the south of MS but sometimes deflected to the north. The currents were stronger during August and weaker during February. In August, the current from the north of MS moved to the south of MS, and it was partly deflected toward the north around Sulawesi Island. There was also the current from the south of MS directed toward the north. While in February, the current around Kalimantan Island was always to the south of MS. Based on the results, the MS currents were dominated by the currents from the north of MS or the Pacific Ocean.