Scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI)–based approach to better understand the Indonesian Throughflow, a major ocean current that transports warm, fresh water from the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean and plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation and sea surface temperatures.
The Indonesian Throughflow is the only low-latitude current connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans, making it a key driver of climate and weather patterns worldwide.
However, measuring and monitoring the current has long posed a challenge. The seas around Indonesia are marked by deep basins, narrow sills and complex ocean processes, while direct observations are limited because ocean monitoring systems are costly and difficult to maintain.
To overcome these challenges, researchers led by Zihao Wang combined AI modelling techniques with concepts from observing system simulation experiments. Instead of relying heavily on physical measurements, their method uses sea surface height data to predict the behaviour of the Indonesian Throughflow, including how water moves through its various passages and which straits have the greatest influence on the overall system.
The team developed a deep learning model that integrates two types of neural networks. A convolutional neural network (CNN), commonly used in image recognition, was applied to extract patterns and trends from data related to the current.
These trends were then analysed over time using a recurrent neural network (RNN), which is designed to process sequential data. Together, the two networks enabled the researchers to simulate and study the current's behaviour with far lower computational costs than traditional simulation experiments.
The results closely matched observed water transport trends, demonstrating that sea surface height is a strong predictor of conditions in several of the shallower straits between Indonesian islands. Among these, the Maluku Strait stood out as having a particularly strong influence on the behaviour of the entire Indonesian Throughflow system.
The researchers also found that combining data from both the Maluku Strait and the nearby Halmahera Strait further improved predictions of system-wide conditions. This suggests that these passages could be high-priority locations for future monitoring efforts, potentially allowing scientists to better track changes in ocean circulation and their wider climate impacts using fewer, more targeted observations.
