Fortnightly variability of Chl a in the Indonesian seas

Abstract

Abstract. Twenty years of daily MODIS-Aqua ocean color observations (2002–2022) are used to identify periodic variability of near-surface chlorophyll (Chl a) in the Indonesian seas. The frequency spectrum of Chl a is dominated by the mean and low-frequency monsoonal variability; however, a prominent peak around the fortnightly tidal period, MSf, is present. Harmonic analysis is used to quantify and map the fortnightly Chl a signal, which is discovered to be significant along the continental shelves of NW Australia and at several sites associated with narrow passages between the Lesser Sunda Islands, within the Sulu Archipelago, and at a few other sites in the Philippines Archipelago. Fortnightly variability at the shallow coastal sites is attributed to the spring–neap cycle of barotropic ocean currents, while we hypothesize that the variability in deeper water near the island passages is due to the modulation of vertical nutrient fluxes by baroclinic tidal mixing. The results document the significance of tidal mixing and highlight the heterogeneous character of biophysical processes within the Indonesian seas.