| In the early 1980′s a network of frequently repeated eXendable BathyThermograph(XBT) sections was established in the eastern South Indian Ocean as part ofthe Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere experiment. Nearly twenty years laterthese lines are still operating and are shedding light on the mean structure of the Indonesian Throughflow and its interannual variability. In particular, seasonal anomalies of subsurface temperature variability in the Throughflow region can be seen as largely due to the interaction of remotely wind driven waves originating along the Indian and Pacific Ocean equators. Transport variability is less easily understood. The barotropic Island Rule cannot account for the observed baroclinic transport changes. Mean transports relative to 800m are near 9Sv (geostrophic plus Ekman), with the Throughflow characterized by a subsurface velocity maximum near 100m. Comparisons with moored transport estimates will help explore the unmeasured flow at and below 700m, the depth reached by the XBTs. |
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