Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS14 Fish and Fisheries: Environmental Quality and Ecology

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 2:30:00 PM

Location: Sandia/Santa Ana

Brown, C, A, Texas A&M University, Dept. of Oceanography , College Station, USA, cbrown@icthy.tamu.edu

Jackson, G, A, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA, jackson@halodule.tamu.edu

Brooks, D, A, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA, dbrooks@ocean.tamu.edu

SIMULATING LARVAL SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT TO ESTUARINE NURSERY AREAS: THE IMPORTANCE OF VARIATIONS IN WATER LEVEL AND WIND FORCING

Because of the temporal and spatial variability in physical processes and larval abundance, it is often difficult to interpret larval abundance data and to discern the dominant processes influencing recruitment. We used a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model to identify the role of physical processes in the supply and transport of fish larvae to nursery habitat in a shallow, microtidal bay system along the Texas coast. Our previous work emphasized the role of tidal forcing in larval transport, now we are focusing on the role of wind forcing and subtidal variations in coastal sea level and comparing model results to observed larval abundance. Pulses in larval supply in the inlet are associated with low-frequency water level fluctuations and wind-driven transport. Physical forcing may be a dominant factor influencing interannual variability in larval supply. Simulations suggest that the pathways for settlement-age larvae have nearshore trajectories (inside 15-m depth contour), emphasizing the importance of small-scale bathymetric features.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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