Ocean mixing by tides impacts regional sea surface temperatures in the maritime continent

Ocean activity in one part of the world can affect other regions. Credit: NOAA

It is well known that within the Maritime Continent, a meteorological term for the region between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, enhanced water mixing processes from tides cause colder sea surface temperatures. An important question is exactly how much this process contributes to broader ocean and climate conditions. A new study, supported by the Climate Program Office’s Climate Variability & Predictability (CVP) Program, uses multiple high-resolution models that capture ocean and atmosphere interactions to investigate this question. The research team, which was led by CVP-supported postdoctoral researcher John Steffen and included CVP PI’s Hyodae Seo, Carol Anne Clayson (WHOI), and Toshiaki Shinoda (Texas A&M), contribute to ongoing CVP initiatives to improve our understanding of upper ocean processes and their impact on climate.