Geography:Molucca Sea
Molucca Sea showing seismic (squares and triangles) and tsunami activity (circles). NOAA
Published: October 14, 2009, 12:00 am
Updated: May 13, 2013, 11:02 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
The Molucca Sea (also Molukka Sea) is a semi-enclosed sea, surrounded by a variety of islands belonging to Indonesia, most significantly the island of Sulawesi (Celebes) to the west and northwest.
It connects with the Celebes Sea and to the north and the Banda Sea to the south.
Although the Molucca Basin is open to the Pacific Ocean, deep Molucca Sea water is blocked from entering the Banda or Ceram Seas due to the presence of the Lifamatola sill.
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This article is written at a definitional level only. Authors wishing to improve this entry are inivited to expand the present treatment, which additions will be peer reviewed prior to publication of any expansion. |
The Molucca Basin is an area of extreme seismicity, producing numerous high intensity earthquakes and tsunamis in recent time.
Paleoclimate
Seabed core data from the northern Molucca Sea has yielded rich insights on the paleoclimate of the region, particularly as to details of the last glacial maximum. At that time, approximately 18,000 years Before Present, salinity of the Molucca Basin was deduced to be slightly higher in a decidedly more arid lower atmosphere. Correspondingly, the sea surface temperature was shown to be no more than one degree Celsius cooler than present time.
Molucca Sea. Source: CIA World factbook
References
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E.J.Brill. 1933. The Snellius expedition in the eastern part of the Netherlands East-Indies, 1929-1930: under the leadership of P. M. Van Riel, Volume 2, Part 8
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International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition.
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Tomas Tomascik. 1997. The ecology of the Indonesian seas, Volume 1. Tuttle Publishing. 1388 pages
See also
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Citation
C Michael Hogan (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Molucca Sea". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth October 14, 2009; Last revised Date May 13, 2013; Retrieved May 25, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Molucca_Sea?topic=49460>
The Author
Standing within a gentoo penguin colony on King George Island, Antarctica, Dr. C. Michael Hogan served a term as Editor in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth which ended in 2012. In addition to authoring a number of papers for the Encyclopedia of Earth, he is a physicist who has published over 1220 peer reviewed articles in other journals and government monographs in the fields of molecular biology, quantum spinwaves, atmospheric physics, biogeochemistry, hydrological modeling, species populat ... (Full Bio)
The Molucca Sea (also Molukka Sea) is a semi-enclosed sea, surrounded by a variety of islands belonging to Indonesia, most significantly the island of Sulawesi (Celebes) to the west and northwest.
It connects with the Celebes Sea and to the north and the Banda Sea to the south.
Although the Molucca Basin is open to the Pacific Ocean, deep Molucca Sea water is blocked from entering the Banda or Ceram Seas due to the presence of the Lifamatola sill.
|
This article is written at a definitional level only. Authors wishing to improve this entry are inivited to expand the present treatment, which additions will be peer reviewed prior to publication of any expansion. |
The Molucca Basin is an area of extreme seismicity, producing numerous high intensity earthquakes and tsunamis in recent time.
Paleoclimate
Seabed core data from the northern Molucca Sea has yielded rich insights on the paleoclimate of the region, particularly as to details of the last glacial maximum. At that time, approximately 18,000 years Before Present, salinity of the Molucca Basin was deduced to be slightly higher in a decidedly more arid lower atmosphere. Correspondingly, the sea surface temperature was shown to be no more than one degree Celsius cooler than present time.
Molucca Sea. Source: CIA World factbook
References
-
E.J.Brill. 1933. The Snellius expedition in the eastern part of the Netherlands East-Indies, 1929-1930: under the leadership of P. M. Van Riel, Volume 2, Part 8
-
International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition.
-
Tomas Tomascik. 1997. The ecology of the Indonesian seas, Volume 1. Tuttle Publishing. 1388 pages
See also
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