Studying physical connectivity of reefs using a numerical ocean model
(2012) 12th International Coral Reef Symposium — Location: Cairns, Australia (9.July.2012)
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- Abstract
- This study uses a finite-element, non-structured grid numerical ocean model to simulate the transport of coral larvae in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), with the aim of studying the physical connectivity between different reefs in the GBR. The SLIM model is used to study the hydrodynamics of the entire GBR to a resolution of 200 m near reefs and islands, thus enabling us to specify the correct open boundary forcings by the Coral Sea in terms of the South Equatorial Current and the tides. The SLIM model demonstrates not just the classical cascade from large-scale to small-scales, but also a feedback from the small-scale to the large-scale. A particle-tracking module is then used to track and record the positions of coral larvae released into the simulated domain during the spawning season, over a period of a month. Connectivity matrices for the GBR are generated from the positions of the larvae at the start and at the end of the simulations. We group the reefs into “communities” (clusters of highly inter-connected reefs) using tools developed from Graph Theory, to identify the areas of the GBR in which reefs are most highly inter-connected. The model predicts the distribution of clusters of highly self-seeded reef as a result of the sticky water effect, and inter-connected reefs occasionally several hundreds of km apart.
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Citations
Thomas, C., Krings, G., Lambrechts, J., Deleersnijder, E., Hanert, E., & Wolanski, E. (2012). Studying physical connectivity of reefs using a numerical ocean model. 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, Cairns, Australia. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/225228