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Abstract Marine debris (MD) is a global issue that remains unresolved in Indonesia where the accumulation of this kind of pollution poses a significant threat to the marine ecosystem and health of the ocean. Understanding the sources and locations of stranded debris is crucial in identifying the required regulations and mitigation strategies. This study used the hypothetical sources to identify the stranded debris along the coastline of Selayar Island and its surrounding seas. Using a combination of simulation and in-situ sampling methods, the simulation considered 13 hypothetical sources based on external factors such as river locations and surface ocean currents. This simulation result was then validated the simulation against beach litter observations and interview results with people. The results successfully mapped the sources and stranded MD in Selayar Island, indicating that the majority of MD originates from the island itself and the surrounding areas, influenced by oceanographic factors. The most frequently encountered locations of stranded MD are in the western coastal region including tourism areas and coastal ecosystem. Due to the oceanographic conditions, the stranded debris has varied quantities over the months, and higher in December represent the northwest monsoon (NWM) season, exceeding levels observed during the southeast monsoon (SEM). The study also identified that the main sources of debris are from Selayar Island and rivers from surrounding islands. This study also confirmed that oceanographic conditions such as surface ocean currents and wind pattern influenced the spreading of MD in Selayar Island. Due to the different ocean characteristics in different regions, a more detailed understanding and stranded of marine debris source which might provide more information for the explanation of the mechanism of marine debris pathways in Archipelagic Countries.

The Makassar Strait, located in central Indonesia, serves as a divider between Western and Eastern Indonesia and remains a subject of ongoing debate regarding its formation. Two primary theories have been proposed: (1) the Makassar Strait opening established a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) and led to a double subduction, and (2) it was formed through intracontinental rifting accompanied by mantle-plume magmatism. In this study, we present findings on the Adang Volcanic Complexes in Western Sulawesi, situated on the eastern side of the Makassar Strait, which have exposures of the Middle to Late Miocene age interspersed with crystalline limestone and carbonate rocks, indicating a correlation with a marine environment. The rocks investigated in this study are predominantly low-silica mafic rock, mainly composed of leucite/pseudoleucite-bearing trachytic tuff, agglomerate volcanic breccia, lavas, peralkaline dykes, and multiple mafic and leucitic intrusions. Geochemical analysis of the 12 drill core samples of leucite-bearing Adang Volcanics reveals their alkaline nature, characterized by high TiO2 relative to Al2O3 [TiO2 > (−1.1610 + 0.1935 × Al2O3)]. The samples also display geochemical signatures of Nb/Zr > 0.0627, Th/Nb > 0.67, a high ratio of Nb/Y (>0.6561) with an enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREE; La/Yb > 20), low Nb/La

Abstract The interannual variability of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) in the Makassar Strait in 2015–2017 is analyzed using observations and ORAS5 reanalysis data. Strong northward and ensuing strong southward current anomalies in the sub‐thermocline Makassar Strait are identified during and after the 2015/2016 El Niño, respectively. However, the upper layer current anomalies are weakly southward in September–October 2015 and strongly northward in April 2016 through April 2017. These anomalies of the Makassar Strait throughflow in the upper layer are found to be induced mainly by Indian Ocean Kelvin waves forcing sea surface height anomalies off the south Java coasts. The sub‐thermocline current anomalies are found to be generated by the westward and downward propagation of interannual Rossby waves from the central equatorial Pacific during and after the 2015/2016 El Niño. The results underline the importance of the planetary wave propagation into the Indonesian seas in forcing the ITF anomalies.

The Makassar Strait is one of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) branches that transports warm water masses from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. These water masses have a significant impact on oceanographic parameters, which in turn affects the skipjack tuna distribution. Satellite-derived oceanographic factors from January 2015 to December 2020 included sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a, salinity, sea surface height (SSH), surface current, and surface wind are used to predict the potential habitat of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the Makassar Strait using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model. The SSH was the most important oceanographic variable affecting the skipjack tuna catch, contributing 49.7% to the model gain. An increasing skipjack tuna catch was observed within the following oceanographic variable ranges: 0.48–0.58 m of SSH, 34–35 ppt of salinity, 0.1–1.2 m/s of surface current, 29–30 °C of SST, 5–6 m/s of surface wind, and 0.1–0.5 mg/l of chlorophyll-a concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lombok Strait (LS), Ombai Strait (OS), and Timor Passage (TP) are three major outlets of the Indonesian Throughflow to the Indian Ocean. Here, sources and pathways of the LS, OS, and TP outflows are explored by a Lagrangian particle tracking analysis based on a ~3 km regional ocean model simulation. The Makassar Strait transport contributes to ~80%, ~75%, and ~45% of the LS, OS, and TP outflows, respectively. However, ~41% and ~19% of the TP and OS outflows stem from the Lifamatola Passage, which largely feeds the upper and intermediate layers of the outflows. The role of Karimata Strait is quite limited and restricted to the upper layer. It takes 1-2 years and 2-6 years for the Makassar Strait water to reach the OS and TP, respectively, whereas the Lifamatola Passage water passes through the OS (2-6 years) and TP (3-9 years) on a prolonged transit time. In the Banda Sea, the western boundary current is the main pathway toward the OS, while the waters to the TP tend to take a basin interior route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variations are significant in currents in the Makassar Strait, 80% of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, and they are in phase with both the monsoon and the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) difference between two oceans. However, dynamics are not well discussed since gridded SSHA products within the strait are less reliable because of both over-smoothing and contamination in coastal areas. In this study, therefore, 17 years of along-track Jason altimetry data with the ALES retracker are used without grid interpolation to investigate seasonal SSHA variations in and around the Makassar Strait. All SSHA variations are in phase from the southern Celebes Sea to the northern Java Sea through the Makassar Strait, but their amplitude decreases by the distance from the southern shallow area. These amplitude modulations produce the pressure gradient force, which is maximum to the north of 4°S reaching 1.5 × 10−6 ms−2, and that would be balanced with the bottom friction of the upper-layer ITF velocity, rather than the wind stress whose magnitude 5 × 10−8 ms−2 is too small. The SSHA difference between the two oceans is in phase but is isolated from the Makassar Strait by adjacent uncorrelated SSHA variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper presents a significant advancement in the understanding of tsunamigenic landslide hazard across the length of the Makassar Strait in Indonesia. We use statistical emulation across the length of the continental slope to conduct a probabilistic assessment of tsunami hazard on a regional scale, across 14 virtual coastal gauges. Focusing on the potential maximum wave amplitudes (distance between the wave crest and the still‐water level) from possible tsunamigenic landslide events, we generate predictions from Gaussian Process emulators fitted to input‐outputs from 50 training scenarios. We show that the most probable maximum wave amplitudes in the majority of gauges are between 1 and 5 m, with the maximum predicted amplitudes reaching values of up to 10 m on the eastern coast, and up to 50 m on the western coast. We also explore the potential use of Gaussian multivariate copulas to sample emulator prediction input values to create a more realistic distribution of volumes along the continental slope. The novel use of statistical emulation across a whole slope enables the probabilistic assessment of tsunami hazard due to landslides on a regional scale. This area is of key interest to Indonesia since the new capital will be established in the East Kalimantan region on the western side of the Makassar Strait. Plain Language Summary: This work is the first to use statistical models to conduct a landslide‐generated tsunami hazard assessment for the whole of the Makassar Strait in Indonesia. From 50 simulated landslide‐tsunami scenarios, we fit statistical models (known as emulators) to then predict the likelihood and maximum wave height of potential tsunami waves in 14 different locations along the Makassar continental slope. These predictions show that the most likely wave heights were between 1 and 5 m, with the highest predicted waves reaching up to 10 m on the eastern coast and up to 50 m on the western coast. The results of this study are particularly important because Indonesia has announced the relocation of its new capital city to the western side of the Makassar Strait, within the study area. Key Points: This is the first use of emulation for tsunamigenic landslide hazard assessment worldwide integrating both uncertain location and sizeThis is the first tsunamigenic landslide hazard assessment for the whole Makassar Strait regionProbable tsunami wave amplitudes reach up to 50 m on the West coast and around 14 m where the Indonesian capital will be relocated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the Makassar Strait and adjacent waters (MSAW) using the Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OISSTv2) dataset from 1982 to 2021. The analysis revealed a significant positive trend in the frequency and duration of MHWs, while the mean and maximum intensities displayed a negative trend over the 40-year period. By examining two different phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), it was observed that the cold phase (more frequent La Niña events than El Niño) had higher MHW frequency and duration, whereas the warm phase (more frequent El Niño events than La Niña) exhibited higher mean and maximum intensities. Moreover, the occurrence of high-intensity MHWs was associated with weakened winds, the decaying phase of El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and high net surface heat flux (NSHF). An intriguing finding emerged, indicating a notable lag of 7–9 months (10 months) between El Niño (positive IOD) events and the emergence of high-intensity MHWs. This lag suggests that MHWs are more likely to manifest during the transition towards La Niña and negative IOD conditions. Additionally, the study highlighted a stronger correlation between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and MHW intensity in the MSAW compared to the IOD. Furthermore, the different intensities of MHWs were found to be linked to NSHF, which exhibited higher values during the warm phase of the PDO compared to the cold phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in convective activity and hydroclimate over Northeastern Kalimantan are key features to understand glacial to interglacial climate evolution in the center of the West Pacific Warm Pool during the Late Pleistocene to Holocene. We use high-resolution X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanner-derived elemental ratios in sediment Core SO217-18522 (1º 24.106' N, 119º 4.701'E, 975 m water depth) recovered from the northern Makassar Strait to reconstruct changes in precipitation-related weathering and erosion over Northeastern Kalimantan over the last 50 kyr. Enhanced seasonality of rainfall and an extended dry season during Heinrich Stadials (HS4 to HS1) and the Younger Dryas (YD) suggest weakening of the tropical convection associated with a southward shift of the tropical rain belt and the annual mean position of the Intertropical Tropical Convection Zone. Increasing sediment discharge and intensification of convective activity occurred during the early to mid-Holocene during an interval of high Northern Hemisphere insolation, elevated atmospheric pCO2 levels and global warming. Our reconstructions in comparison with regional terrestrial and marine records highlight the high spatial variability of Kalimantan hydroclimate on millennial to glacial-interglacial timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to describe the relationship between the upwelling area and the ZPPI area of ​​skipjack tuna using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) method and to map out the distribution pattern of skipjack in Barru waters, Makassar Strait. The research was conducted in November and December 2020, located in Barru waters, Makassar Strait. The research method used two methods by collecting primary data in the form of catches by following the purse seine fishing operation in Barru and secondary data in the form of satellite imagery data on sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a. The data were analyzed using the GAM and upwelling area analysis. The upwelling area was obtained from the combination of the referred values of the two parameters. The results showed that sea surface temperature parameters had a significant effect on the catch of skipjack tuna with favored range of 28.5 - 29.7 oC. Preferred chlorophyll-a ranged from 0.15 to 0.23 mg m-3. We found that the upwelling event in the Flores sea does not have a direct effect on the distribution pattern of skipjack tuna, there is probably a time lag required after upwelling in which in turn has an impact on the distribution of skipjack tuna in the southern Malassar Strait. Keywords: skipjack distribution, Makassar Strait, upwelling area, Flores Sea, potential fishing zone area

Makassar Strait has been identified as an area of interesting studies for marine science and operational fisheries. It provides the unique ocean structures such as topographic feature, the main path of the Indonesia Throughflow (ITF) and dynamics of thermal fronts. The aims of this study were to map the dynamic spatial and temporal of the thermal fronts, and to describe their implications to the pelagic fisheries. We used satellite data of sea surface temperature (SST) for the period of January-December 2018 with spatial and temporal resolutions of 4 km and monthly, respectively. For fishery data, we used sampling data of skipjack tuna fishing ground distributions in October and December 2018. Thermal fronts throughout the year were estimated using a Single Image Edge Detection (SIED) algorithm and the available fishing ground data were overlain on the SST front map. The results showed that the spatial distributions of thermal fronts along Makassar Strait tended to be different every month. However, the thermal fronts were consistently detected near the upwelling area from June to September. Skipjack tuna fishing grounds associated with fish aggregating devices (FADs) developed in the northern area of upwelling in October. Two month later, the FADs and free swimming skipjack fishing grounds again well formed around the same location. It implies that the formation of the thermal fronts after upwelling contributes the positive effect on development of pelagic fishery especially skipjack in Makassar Strait.

We used a standardised transect method to compare lowland forest termite assemblages in Buton Island, Sulawesi, with transects in Sundaland. The four Buton transects were extremely depauperate with species density ranging from 1 to 6 species, which is around 10% of the species density in 11 described Sundaland transects. Soil-feeding species were absent from the Buton transects but represent some 43% of species in the Sundaland transects. The Buton transects have relatively high soil pH (6.7–7.9), which may be associated with depauperate termite assemblages. Most termite genera recorded in Sulawesi are wood nesters that can raft in floating wood, which is probably how they arrived in Sulawesi. The Macrotermitinae (fungus-growers) do not raft and probably flew across serendipitously. Geographic isolation, both on Buton and in Sulawesi more generally, and Buton's underlying geology causing high soil pH, may account for the near-absence of soil-nesters and soil-feeders, none of which are known to raft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poorly resolved pathway of the sub‐thermocline waters (>300 m) within the Makassar Strait, the primary inflow path of the Indonesian Throughflow, is investigated using in situ mooring measurements and Argo profiles at the entrance to the Indonesian Seas. We focus on the strong sub‐thermocline intrusion in the summer of 2016, when significant changes of sub‐thermocline transport thrice as large as the interannual standard deviation occurred. Analysis suggests that the intrusion was drawn from the North Equatorial Subsurface Current (NESC) flowing westward below the North Equatorial Countercurrent, which was composed of a mixture of intermediate‐depth waters from both the North and South Pacific. The anomalously strong NESC to the Makassar sub‐thermocline in the summer 2016 is suggested to be in response to the 2015/2016 extreme El Niño event, forced by the trade wind anomalies over the western‐central Pacific Ocean through westward and downward propagating baroclinic Rossby waves. Plain Language Summary: The transfer of waters from the tropical Pacific to the Indian Ocean via the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), the majority of which flows through the Makassar Strait, plays an important role in global ocean circulation and climate variations. Here, we identify the sources of the sub‐thermocline Makassar Strait waters by comparing their water mass properties in the Makassar Strait with those in the gateway region using ship‐based and Argo Conductivity‐Temperature‐Depth data. Traditional understanding of the ITF source water in the Makassar Strait is that it is drawn from the western boundary currents of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Our finding identifies a new zonal pathway for the equatorial waters entering the ITF in the sub‐thermocline layer (>300 m) in the summer of 2016, following the strong 2015/16 El Nino event. These results are anticipated to be the beginning of more comprehensive investigations of the Pacific‐Indian Ocean sub‐thermocline connection. Key Points: A strong sub‐thermocline intrusion into the Makassar Strait in summer 2016 is drawn from enhanced North Equatorial Subsurface Current (NESC)The sub‐thermocline water in the Makassar Strait is a mixture of intermediate‐depth waters from the North and the South Pacific OceanThe enhancement of the NESC after the extreme 2015/2016 El Niño, is forced by westward and downward propagating baroclinic Rossby waves [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there have been many previous studies that have interpreted the variability of Indonesian Throughflow transport, the processes that determine its vertical structure have rarely been investigated due to limited observations and model inefficiencies. In this study, a regionally coupled model is developed to address this issue. The model adopts an unstructured model grid, with an ~3‐km resolution within the Indonesian seas and straits, and reveals somewhat inconsistent results compared to previous models with coarser resolutions. The results suggest that the seasonal variability of the depth of the Indonesian Throughflow velocity maximum is partially controlled by the seasonally reversed Karimata throughflow, while the remainder primarily originated from the Mindanao–Sulawesi inflow rather than the Sibutu Strait throughflow. The Mindanao–Sulawesi inflow possesses a subsurface velocity core similar to that of the Makassar Strait, with a deep (shallow) maximum during El Niño (La Niña) years that plays a crucial role in determining the downstream Makassar throughflow profile in the interannual time scale. A sensitivity experiment by fixing Indian Ocean boundary condition shows that the impacts from the Indian Ocean might be significant only within the intraseasonal to seasonal time scales. Key Points: A high‐resolution regional coupled model is developed to investigate the Makassar throughflow profile variabilityThe seasonal variability of Makassar throughflow profile is determined by both Karimata Strait flow, Mindanao Current intrusion, and downstream Kelvin wavesIndian Ocean impact is significant within the seasonal time scale, whereas the Pacific Ocean impact is predominated in the interannual time scale [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Makassar Strait throughflow of ~12–13 Sv, representing ~77% of the total Indonesian Throughflow, displays fluctuations over a broad range of time scales, from intraseasonal to seasonal (monsoonal) and interannual scales. We now have 13.3 years of Makassar throughflow observations: November 1996 to early July 1998; January 2004 to August 2011; and August 2013 to August 2017. Strong southward transport is evident during boreal summer, modulated by an ENSO interannual signal, with weaker southward flow and a deeper subsurface velocity maximum during El Niño; stronger southward flow with a shallower velocity maximum during La Niña. Accordingly, the southward heat flux, a product of the along‐channel current and temperature profiles, is significantly larger in summer and slightly larger during La Niña. The southward flow relaxed in 2014 and more so in 2015/2016, similar though not as extreme as during the strong El Niño event of 1997. In 2017, the throughflow increased to ~20 Sv. Since 2016, the deep layer, 300‐ to 760‐m southward transport increases, almost doubling to ~7.5 Sv. From mid‐2016 into early 2017, the transports above 300 m and below 300 m are about equal, whereas previously, the ratio was about 2.7:1. Near zero or northward flow occurs in the upper 100 m during boreal winter, albeit with interannual variability. Particularly strong winter reversals were observed in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017, the latter being the strongest winter reversal revealed in the entire Makassar time series. Plain Language Summary: Pacific water flows into the Indian Ocean within the passages and basins of the Indonesian Seas: the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), driven by the pressure gradient between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The ITF affects heat and freshwater inventories of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The primary inflow path of Pacific water into the Indonesian seas is the Makassar Strait, channeling 12.5 × 106 m3/s, about 77% of the total ITF. During the 21 years, November 1996 to August 2017, we have recorded 13.3 years of Makassar throughflow, exposing a broad range of spatial and temporal scale patterns. The Makassar Strait annual cycle transport ranges from about 7 to 16 × 106 m3/s. Strong southward transport occurs during boreal summer, with weaker (stronger) southward flow and a deeper (shallower) subsurface velocity maximum during El Niño (La Niña). The throughflow relaxed in 2015 into 2016 during an El Niño. In 2017, the southward transport increased to 20 × 106 m3/s. The 300‐ to 760‐m transport increased in 2016 into 2017, equaling the 0‐ to 300‐m transport, from the more typical 30% of the 0‐ to 300‐m transport. Near zero flow occurs in the upper ~100 m during boreal winter with particularly strong winter reversals in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017. Key Points: This 13.3‐year record of Makassar Strait throughflow displays fluctuations over a broad range of time scales: intraseasonal to interannualStronger southward transport and shallower velocity maximum occur during boreal summer and during La Niña, than occur in winter and El NiñoMakassar Strait throughflow decreased during the 2015 El Niño to ~10 Sv, increasing to ~20 Sv during the 2017 La Niña [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though Pacific – Indian Ocean exchange [Indonesian Throughflow (ITF)] has been measured for the last three decades, the measurements of microplastic in the region is very limited. This study was the initial investigation of the vertical distribution of microplastic in the deep-sea areas across the ITF Pathway. Niskin water samples were utilized to obtain the samples from a water column in a range of 5 to 2450 m. A total of 924 microplastic particles with an average abundance of 1.062 ± 0.646. n/L were found in the water column. Our findings indicate that water temperature and water density are the most significant factors correlated to the microplastic concentration. This study will be the first report discussing the distribution of microplastics in the deep-sea water column that could be highly significant in determining the fate and transport of microplastic within Indonesian waters that exits into the Indian Ocean. • Microplastics were found to be widely distributed throughout the water column of the Indonesia Throughflow (ITF) pathway. • The mean concentration of microplastics was determined to be 1.062±0.646 n/L • The predominant microplastic shape was fibers • The microplastic were accumulate in the thermocline layer and below the thermocline layer. • The temperature and density had a significant impact on the number of microplastics present in the water column of the ITF pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate rainfall estimates of satellite products in regions that have high variations of rainfall pattern. The surrounding area of Makassar Strait have chosen because of its distinctive rainfall pattern between the eastern and western parts of the Makassar Strait. For this purpose, spatial distribution of Pearson’s coefficient correlation and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is used to evaluate accuracy of rainfall in the eastern part of Kalimantan Island and the western part of Sulawesi Island. Moreover, we also used the contingency table to complete the parameter accuracy of the TRMM rainfall estimates. The results show that the performance of TRMM rainfall estimates varies depending on space and time. Overall, the coefficient correlation between TRMM and rain observed from no correlation was -0.06 and 0.78 from strong correlation. The best correlation is on the eastern coast of South West Sulawesi located in line with the Java Sea. While, no variation in the correlation was related to flatland such as Kalimantan Island. On the other hand, in the mountain region, the correlation of TRMM rainfall estimates and observed rainfall tend to decrease. The RMSE distribution in this region depends on the accumulation of daily rainfall. RMSE tends to be high where there are higher fluctuations of fluctuating rainfall in a location. From contingency indicators, we found that the TRMM rainfall estimates were overestimate. Generally, the absence of rainfall during the dry season contributes to improving TRMM rainfall estimates by raising accuracy (ACC) in the contingency table.

Surface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) distribution have been analyzed with seasonal variation during southeast monsoon in southern part of Makassar Strait and Flores Sea. Satellite data of Landsat-8 is applied to this study to formulate the distribution of chlorophyll concentration during monsoonal wind period. The distribution of chlorophyll concentration was normally peaked condition in August during southeast monsoon. Satellite data showed that a slowdown in the rise of the distribution of chlorophyll in September with a lower concentration than normal is likely due to a weakening the strength of southeast trade winds during June – July – August 2016. Further analysis shows that the southern part of the Makassar strait is likely occurrence of upwelling characterized by increase in surface chlorophyll concentrations were identified as the potential area of fishing ground.

We present centennial-scale records of sea surface temperature and oxygen isotopes in a sediment core from Mandar Bay, offshore Sulawesi in the southern Makassar Strait, which provide new insights into the variability of Indonesian climate over the past 26 kyr. The age model for the core is constrained by 17 AMS radiocarbon ages, with a surface ocean reservoir age correction based on paired wood and foraminiferal samples. Small Holocene reservoir ages of 105 ± 180 years point to intense surface ocean-atmosphere interchange linked to increased monsoonal precipitation, whereas Last Glacial Maximum and deglacial reservoir ages are significantly higher. Mg/Ca derived sea surface temperature reconstructions based on Globigerinoides ruber ( s. s ., white) exhibit an extended plateau during the Antarctic Cold Reversal, suggesting an atmospheric connection to high-latitude Southern Hemisphere climate and a seasonal bias on G. ruber . This is in agreement with southern hemisphere sites along the track of the Indonesian Throughflow and in contrast to Northern Hemisphere records from the South China Sea, Sulu Sea and Western Pacific (off Mindanao), which exhibit warming during the Bølling-Allerød. Ice-volume corrected δ 18 O seawater (δ 18 O sw ) increased during Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas, whereas the Bølling-Allerød is characterized by low δ 18 O sw . We attribute δ 18 O sw variability in the southern Makassar Strait during the Last Glacial Maximum and glacial termination to changes in provenance and seasonality of precipitation rather than to variability in the amount of local precipitation and runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present core top Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and δ 18 O measurements for Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi and Hoeglundina elegans from the Timor Sea and the Makassar Strait, which span a bottom water temperature (BWT) range from 2 to 18 °C. In both species Mg/Ca ratios are positively and significantly correlated with BWT, while δ 18 O measurements are significantly anti-correlated with BWT. Comparison of calcification temperatures derived from Mg/Ca ratios and δ 18 O measurements yield comparable results and closely match CTD-measured temperatures. We integrate our results with previously published data sets from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and provide temperature calibration equations over the temperature range from 2 to 12 °C for H . elegans and from 0 to 10 °C for C . wuellerstorfi . We found geographical differences in the relation of benthic Mg/Ca ratios to BWT: C . wuellerstorfi shows Mg/Ca sensitivity to BWT of 19% increase in Mg/Ca per °C for the Atlantic Ocean and of 15% per °C for the Indian and Pacific Oceans. H . elegans shows Mg/Ca sensitivity to BWT of 16% increase in Mg/Ca per °C for the Atlantic Ocean and of 14% per °C for the Indian and Pacific Oceans. C . wuellerstorfi Sr/Ca variability appears to be mainly driven by carbonate ion saturation, whereas H . elegans Sr/Ca variability is closely linked to BWT in the compiled data sets from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Makassar strait as the main entrance of the Indonesian Through low (ITF) known to carry the ITF transport about 75% of 15 Sv total transport. Current mooring measurement in Labani Channel has been made since 1996, however, the hidrography measurement that covering the entire Makassar Strait is still rarely done. The canal countour and bathymetry diversity of the strait affect the characteristic of mass water moving so that the research which cover the entire of the Makassar Srait is needed. The aims of this study were to investigated the current structure and spatial variation of ITF in Makassar Strait from EWIN expedition during June 2013. Hidrographic data consists of 29 CTD casts that distributed over the Makassar Strait waters and current data was from shipboard ADCP along the survey path at 0-125 m. The result showed that ITF of Makassar Strait was characterized by a strong jet current that intensive in thermocline depth (75-125 m), where the flow pattern toward the south to southwest at the entrance of ITF in the northern. The jet current continues to approach the 2°S, then the direction changed to southeast down the shallow Kalimantan slope to Labani Channel and become stronger. In the edge of Makassar Strait, circulation form cyclone eddies. ITF waters stratification was dominated by North Pacific Subtropical Water (NPSW) in the thermocline depth and North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) in the below of thermocline depth. There was spatial variation of mass water NPSW and NPIW where ITF weakness toward southern with decreaces 0.03 psu of maximum salinity and increaces 0.007 psu of minimum salinity. Thermocline layer in the eastern was thicker so that the vertical distribution of mass water of North Pasific was likely stronger in the east side of Makassar Strait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisakis spp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) parasitize a wide range of marine animals, mammals serving as the definitive host and different fish species as intermediate or paratenic hosts. In this study, 18 fish species were investigated for Anisakis infection. Katsuwonus pelamis, Euthynnus affinis, Caranx sp., and Auxis thazard were infected with high prevalence of Anisakis type I, while Cephalopholis cyanostigma and Rastrelliger kanagurta revealed low prevalence. The mean intensity of Anisakis larvae in K. pelamis and A. thazard was 49.7 and 5.6, respectively. A total of 73 Anisakis type I larvae collected from K. pelamis and A. thazard were all identified as Anisakis typica by PCR-RFLP analysis. Five specimens of Anisakis from K. pelamis and 15 specimens from A. thazard were sequenced using ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and 6 specimens from A. thazard and 4 specimens from K. pelamis were sequenced in mtDNA cox2 region. Alignments of the sam- ples in the ITS region showed 2 patterns of nucleotides. The first pattern (genotype) of Anisakis from A. thazard had 100% similarity with adult A. typica from dolphins from USA, whereas the second genotype from A. thazard and K. pelamis had 4 base pairs different in ITS1 region with adult A. typica from USA. In the mtDNA cox2 regions, Anisakis type I specimens from A. thazard and K. pelamis showed similarity range from 94% to 99% with A. typica AB517571/DQ116427. The difference of 4 bp nucleotides in ITS1 regions and divergence into 2 subgroups in mtDNA cox2 indicating the existence of A. typica sibling species in the Makassar Strait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indo- Australian Archipelago ( IAA) is the richest area of biodiversity in the marine realm, yet the processes that generate and maintain this diversity are poorly understood and have hardly been studied in the mangrove biotope. Cerithidea is a genus of marine and brackish-water snails restricted to mangrove habitats in the Indo- West Pacific, and its species are believed to have a short pelagic larval life. Using molecular and morphological techniques, we demonstrate the existence of 15 species, reconstruct their phylogeny and plot their geographical ranges. Sister species show a pattern of narrowly allopatric ranges across the IAA, with overlap only between clades that show evidence of ecological differentiation. These allopatric mosaic distributions suggest that speciation may have been driven by isolation during low sea-level stands, during episodes preceding the Plio- Pleistocene glaciations. The Makassar Strait forms a biogeographical barrier hindering eastward dispersal, corresponding to part of Wallace's Line in the terrestrial realm. Areas of maximum diversity of mangrove plants and their associated molluscs do not coincide closely. © 2013 The Natural History Museum. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, 2013, 110, 564-580. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The characteristics and plausible genesis of the 20–40 day variability observed within the Labani Channel, a constriction within the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, are described. The 20–40 day variability, trapped beneath the depth of the strongest stratification of the pycnocline, is most evident in the across-strait flow, and in the across-strait gradient of the along-strait flow as well as in the vertical displacements of isotherms. The 20–40 day energy distribution of the across-strait flow is identifiable as a blue spectrum, demonstrating downward phase propagation. The flow fields are approximated by a vortex velocity structure, and the corresponding isotherm displacements imply potential vorticity conservation. We propose that the 20–40 day features observed in the Labani Channel are expressions of cyclonic and anti-cyclonic eddies that are advected southward within the Makassar Strait throughflow. Analysis of simulated eddy kinetic energy from an eddy-resolving model further indicates that the upstream instability of the background flow within Makassar Strait is the energy source for the eddies which are dissipated within the Labani Channel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A 50-year record of the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) was obtained using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) dataset to calculate a timeseries of Pacific-to-Indian Ocean pressure differences, which were calibrated to transport profiles using ARLINDO (1997) and INSTANT (2004–2006) observational data. The 50 year SODA based ITF transport average is 10.4Sv; the transport weighted temperature (TWT) is 14.6°C and the internal energy transport (IET) is 0.53PW. The different configurations of the ITF transport and temperature profiles result in a dissimilarity in the variability of the IET and the TWT, with the IET more closely correlated with both the depth of the 18°C isotherm in the western equatorial Pacific and the NINO3.4 index. As with the transport, the IET increases during La Niña and decreases during El Niño. The TWT is only weakly correlated with NINO3.4, suggesting that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation signal is transmitted from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean via changes in pressure and thus in transport rather than by changes in temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Earth observation (EO) data are excellent tools for studying the quality and dynamic of estuarine and coastal waters. In this paper we propose a simplified remote sensing method to estimate aerosol reflectance and suspended particulate matter (SPM). We validated this method with in-situ measurements from two different locations: the Poyang Lake in China and the Kenyan Coastal waters. In the validation phase, we used match-up data from orbital ocean color (MERIS) and geostationary (SEVIRI) sensors. Both locations as well as both sensors gave consistent results. The R 2 values between derived and measured SPM concentrations were >0.94 for MERIS and >0.7 for SEVIRI. The RMSE values of derived SPM concentrations were less than 3 and 5gm−3 for MERIS and SEVIRI respectively. Our method derived realistic patterns of SPM dynamics in turbid waters and spatially un-correlated aerosol reflectance maps. The proposed method can be applied to derive either SPM concentrations or its backscattering coefficient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pollen and radiocarbon analyses have been used to study environmental and mangrove dynamics at two near-coastal sites at Batulicin, South Kalimantan and Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. These two sites are separated by the Makassar Strait. The results indicate that mangroves developed at Batulicin in the mid-Holocene following sea-level stabilization. Although mangroves might have degraded to some extent due to a high rate of sea level rise prior to the mid-Holocene peak, they persisted to the present time at Batulicin. In contrast, mangrove development commenced at Pare-Pare in the early Holocene following Holocene transgression. Their development was abruptly halted in the mid-Holocene. Deposition at the site since the mid Holocene has been supra-tidal terrestrial (fluvial/floodplain), this may have been facilitated by a minor sea-level regression. Briefly, Holocene environmental and mangrove dynamics at Batulicin are: shallow marine-lower half intertidal zone/mid-tide mangroves forest-upper half intertidal zone/high-tide mangroves, while at Pare-Pare site are: terrestrial/fluvial environment-intertidal zone/mangroves-fluvial environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]