Current measurements in the Maluku Sea

A current meter mooring was deployed in the eastern Indonesian archipelago, in the Maluku Sea, between the islands of Sulawesi and Halmahera, to contr ibute to estimates of the volume of the Indonesian Throughflow, for 13 mont hs (June 1993-July 1994), with meters located at 740, 1250, 1750, and 2240 m below the surface. Hydrocasts for salinity and temperature were made at t he time of deployment. The current meter and hydrographic data indicate a p redominantly southward flow at the upper three meters throughout the year a nd a steady northward flow at the bottom meter. T-S and oxygen properties b elow 1800 m indicate a clockwise circulation in the Maluku Sea, with a vert ical velocity of about 2 m/d. If the currents at the mooring, which is loca ted on the western side of the Maluku Sea, are typical of the entire basin width, the average southward through flow between 740 m and 1500 m below th e surface, 7 Sv (1 Sv = 10(6) m(3)/s), is comparable in magnitude with esti mates of upper layer transport and should be accounted for in estimates of the Indonesian Throughflow.