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Modelling The Indonesian Throughflow

Ocean currents flow along the surface with the trade winds and westerlies. However an even greater flow takes place at depth.

This deeper system of flow is called the Global Conveyer Belt. It is driven by temperature and salinity gradients, and takes 1000 years to complete one cycle.

Ecologists and oceanographers are particularly interested in a region of the conveyor belt called the Indonesian Throughflow, where ocean currents facilitate one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.

This biodiversity can be attributed to the Global Conveyor Belt passing across the complex ocean floor of the Indonesian Throughflow.
The patterns of mixing waters are of particular interest to a variety of researchers. This simulation, known as CT-ROMS, was developed to better understand the mechanics of nature in this region.

The patterns of intermixing that occur here support a series of coral reefs that a collectively referred to as the Coral Triangle. This region is recognized as the global center for marine biodiversity.

This series of animations will show some of the flow-based phenomena that support the development of these biologically rich ecosystems, and the science being done to understand their future.

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