Extreme Marine Heatwaves in the Southern Java during 2016 Erlin Beliyana (a*), Nining Sari Ningsih (b), Ayi Tarya (b)
(a) Doctoral Program in Earth Sciences, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of
Technology (ITB), Bandung 40132, Indonesia
*erlinbeliyana99[at]gmail.com
(b) Research Group of Oceanography, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of
Technology (ITB), Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Abstract
We investigate the characteristics of marine heatwaves (MHWs) in southern Java and the mechanism underlying the formation of MHWs generated by remote forcing. The study utilizes remote sensing data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The datasets covered the last 40 years and were processed by statistical analysis. We found that the most prolonged durations and the highest cumulative intensities of MHWs in southern Java were recorded during 2016, spanning approximately 255 days and 419.28 degree C, respectively. During 2016, the combination of El Nino decay and negative IOD leads to optimal warm conditions for long-lasting MHWs and hit southern Java throughout the year. Furthermore, the study highlighted a stronger correlation between El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and MHWs in southern Java compared to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), with a 5 to 8 months lag time. An in-depth and comprehensive understanding of MHWs becomes an urgent matter as part of a mitigation effort to deal with MHW disasters in southern Java due to ongoing climate change.
