Meeting Abstracts
The use of Lagrangian particle path tracking in physically-forced ecological applications
Lyon Lanerolle, Richard Patchen, Richard Stumpf, Frank Aikman III, Timothy Wynne, Michelle Tomlinson
NOAA/National Ocean Service/Coast Survey Development Laboratory
(Abstract received 05/10/2012 for session B)
ABSTRACT
Much of the ecological activity in water bodies is heavily influenced by their physical conditions. We will present a summary of the ecological modeling activities using Lagrangian particle path tracking conducted at NOAA’s National Ocean Service/Office of Coast Survey/Coast Survey Development Laboratory (CSDL). The ecological applications are forced with the physics resulting from numerical ocean models applications. Three examples of increasing complexity will be shown: (i) a one-dimensional model of western Lake Erie to examine the response of Cyanobacterial cells to the vertical mixing in the water column, (ii) a two-dimensional set-up on the west Florida shelf exemplifying the response of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) forming Karenia Brevis cells to wind-driven upwelling (in particular their onshore/offshore movement) and (iii) a fully three-dimensional application also for the west Florida shelf to investigate the onshore, offshore, alongshore and vertical movement of HAB patches. The Lagrangian particles employed in these applications are mass-less and point-like and are hence devoid of individual (biochemical-based) behavior. However, they could be extended to include behavior without significant algorithm modifications and cost.