An Analysis of Surface Ocean Currents from HF Radar Measurements in the Bali Strait and the Flores Sea, Indonesia

Abstract

Analyze Surface Ocean Currents (SOCs) with one year of HF Radar data (2018-2019) for each season to determine the characteristics of the SOC direction and speed of the crossing route and its control factors carried out in the Bali Strait and the Flores Sea. Method of data analysis by computing the SOC speed and direction of the zonal and meridional components. The results showed that the SOC pattern in the Bali Strait affects the season where its speed in the DJF season is lower than the JJA season. Moreover, the SOC direction in the Bali Strait is dominant towards the south due to the influence of bathymetry. Meanwhile, the SOC pattern in the Flores Sea has a random pattern every season for the influence of topography in the form of small islands that influence the SOC dominant pattern. Furthermore, the SOC characteristics on the Bali Strait crossing route throughout the month are divided into two patterns: random on the eastern side of East Java Island and dominant towards the south on the west side of Bali Island with a maximum speed of 83 cm/s. Meanwhile, the crossing route in the Flores Sea is random, with a maximum speed of 32 cm/s. Whereas, based on the normal cross-correlation method, the SOC control factors in the Bali Strait tend to be influenced by tides, while the factors in the Flores Sea are less influential based on the distribution of zonal and meridional currents of HF Radar.