The importance of open-boundary estimation for an Indian Ocean GCM-data synthesis

The Indian Ocean general circulation is estimated by fitting the MIT Ocean General Circulation Model to the annual mean climatological hydrography and surface forcing, using the model and its computer-generated adjoint. Open boundary conditions are implemented to the west of the Indonesian Archipela go and near 30S. The approach simultaneously optimizes the initial conditio ns of the hydrographic fields, surface fluxes, and the open boundary condit ions (temperature, salinity, and horizontal velocities). Compared to previous results obtained in a closed domain, the estimated vel ocity field shows a marked improvement near the southern boundary, with a r easonably strong Agulhas Current leaving the model domain. The Indonesian t hroughflow (ITF) is estimated as 2.7 Sv (1 Sv is 10(6) m(3)/s) westward, wh ich is on the low end of the range of previous estimates. The model is able to sharpen fronts in surface salinity, compared to climatology, and sugges ts that the low surface salinity values in the eastern equatorial region ar ise from advection out of the Bay of Bengal rather than from the ITF. Consistent with the closed-domain results, the meridional overturning is do minated by a shallow (above 500 m), wind-driven cell of 16 Sv maximum, whic h carries the bulk of the southward heat transport. We have defined general izations of meridional heat and freshwater transports appropriate in the pr esence of a throughflow. The estimated meridional heat transport has a maxi mum of 0.8 PW at 12S, maximum freshwater transport is 0.29 Sv southward at 9S. The meridional transport divergences are well balanced by the surface h eat and freshwater fluxes, indicating near-steady state and small influence of the ITF.