Sea surface circulation in the straits of Malacca and the andaman sea using twenty-three years satellite altimetry data

Abstract

The ocean circulation in the Straits of Malacca is derived using the satellite altimeter data from January 1993 until 2015. The satellite altimeters are TOPEX, Jason-1, Jason-2, ERS-1, ERS-2, Envisat, SARAL, and Cryosat. The sea surface height derived from the satellite altimeter has been very useful in the study of the ocean circulation but still is not appropriate for the oceanographic application. This is because it is a superposition of geophysical effect such as the tidal effect. The tidal models are more suitable to be used in the open sea like the South China Sea. The tidal effect is rather complex to be determined, especially in a shallow water area like the area in the Strait of Malacca. In order to remove the tidal effect, the best ocean tide model needs to be examined to determine the ocean circulation in the Straits of Malacca. To verify the result, the sea level anomaly (SLA) data were compared to the tide gauge data and the pattern obtained are regularly the same. In order to check the ocean circulation using the altimetric data, the result was compared with the trajectories drifter from Marine Environmental Data Station (MEDS) of Canada. The trajectories of the drifter have confirmed that the current pattern around studied region during June 9, 1999 until July 9, 1999.