Circulation in the Seaflower Reserve and its potential impact onbiological connectivity
Circulation in the Seaflower Reserve and its potential impact onbiological connectivity
Abstract:
The influence of ocean currents over marine population connectivity is pivotal in territory planning since they should be considered in marine protected areas design and maritime spatial planning. Their influence is also vital to broadening the relationship knowledge between oceanographic drivers and ecosystems configuration. However, and despite their importance, the understanding of ocean currents and its role in corals connectivity is poorly known at Seaflower. In consequence, this work aims to characterize larval transport patterns associated with surface currents in Seaflower. To achieve it, we simulated the advection of buoyant coral larvae of Acropora palmata during nine spawning events. Larval dispersal patterns were obtained through the coupling of a high spatiotemporal resolution hydrodynamic field and a biophysical lagrangian model. The ocean currents were generated through ROMS and the Larvae dispersion throughout Ichthyop.
We identified heterogeneous connectivity patterns during the events at seasonal and inter-annual scales. It seems to be associated with the high dynamic variability in the region, such as the Caribbean Current bifurcation, the intrusion-formation of mesoscale/submesoscale eddies, and the semi-permanent presence of the Panamá-Colombia Gyre (PCG). We also identified Serranilla, B.Alicia, and B.Nuevo as essential sources for potential connectivity (in terms of events recurrence), even when some mortality rates are included (effective). In contrast, the weakest sources were Albuquerque, San Andrés, and Bolívar due to the continuous influence of the PCG. In the case of the sinks, the most
recurrent reefs were Serranilla, Providencia, Quitasueño, and Serrana while the least were B.Nuevo and Roncador.
Our results highlight the need for the incorporation of the most crucial source areas in the current MPA zonification, that could lead to the improvement of the MPA effectiveness. Findings also suggest the possibility to implement an MPA network between Jamaica and Colombia that could allow the populations to be resilient to environmental changes and less prone to local extinctions. We also stand out the need for a suitable representation of the dynamic oceanic processes in the whole water
column since they play a crucial role in larval dispersal.
We identified heterogeneous connectivity patterns during the events at seasonal and inter-annual scales. It seems to be associated with the high dynamic variability in the region, such as the Caribbean Current bifurcation, the intrusion-formation of mesoscale/submesoscale eddies, and the semi-permanent presence of the Panamá-Colombia Gyre (PCG). We also identified Serranilla, B.Alicia, and B.Nuevo as essential sources for potential connectivity (in terms of events recurrence), even when some mortality rates are included (effective). In contrast, the weakest sources were Albuquerque, San Andrés, and Bolívar due to the continuous influence of the PCG. In the case of the sinks, the most
recurrent reefs were Serranilla, Providencia, Quitasueño, and Serrana while the least were B.Nuevo and Roncador.
Our results highlight the need for the incorporation of the most crucial source areas in the current MPA zonification, that could lead to the improvement of the MPA effectiveness. Findings also suggest the possibility to implement an MPA network between Jamaica and Colombia that could allow the populations to be resilient to environmental changes and less prone to local extinctions. We also stand out the need for a suitable representation of the dynamic oceanic processes in the whole water
column since they play a crucial role in larval dispersal.