dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaPersistent Transport Barrier on the West Florida Shelf
| Authors | M. J. Olascoaga, I. I. Rypina, M. G. Brown, F. J. Beron-Vera, H. Koçak, L. E. Brand, G. R. Halliwell, L. K. Shay |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0608077 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0608077 |
| DOI | 10.1029/2006GL027800 |
Abstract
Analysis of drifter trajectories in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed the existence of a region on the southern portion of the West Florida Shelf (WFS) that is not visited by drifters that are released outside of the region. This so-called ``forbidden zone'' (FZ) suggests the existence of a persistent cross-shelf transport barrier on the southern portion of the WFS. In this letter a year-long record of surface currents produced by a Hybrid-Coordinate Ocean Model simulation of the WFS is used to identify Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs), which reveal the presence of a robust and persistent cross-shelf transport barrier in approximately the same location as the boundary of the FZ. The location of the cross-shelf transport barrier undergoes a seasonal oscillation, being closer to the coast in the summer than in the winter. A month-long record of surface currents inferred from high-frequency (HF) radar measurements in a roughly 60 km $\times$ 80 km region on the WFS off Tampa Bay is also used to identify LCSs, which reveal the presence of robust transient transport barriers. While the HF-radar-derived transport barriers cannot be unambiguously linked to the boundary of the FZ, this analysis does demonstrate the feasibility of monitoring transport barriers on the WFS using a HF-radar-based measurement system. The implications of a persistent cross-shelf transport barrier on the WFS for the development of harmful algal blooms on the shoreward side of the barrier are considered.
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"abstract": "Analysis of drifter trajectories in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed the\nexistence of a region on the southern portion of the West Florida Shelf (WFS)\nthat is not visited by drifters that are released outside of the region. This\nso-called ``forbidden zone\u0027\u0027 (FZ) suggests the existence of a persistent\ncross-shelf transport barrier on the southern portion of the WFS. In this\nletter a year-long record of surface currents produced by a Hybrid-Coordinate\nOcean Model simulation of the WFS is used to identify Lagrangian coherent\nstructures (LCSs), which reveal the presence of a robust and persistent\ncross-shelf transport barrier in approximately the same location as the\nboundary of the FZ. The location of the cross-shelf transport barrier undergoes\na seasonal oscillation, being closer to the coast in the summer than in the\nwinter. A month-long record of surface currents inferred from high-frequency\n(HF) radar measurements in a roughly 60 km $\\times$ 80 km region on the WFS off\nTampa Bay is also used to identify LCSs, which reveal the presence of robust\ntransient transport barriers. While the HF-radar-derived transport barriers\ncannot be unambiguously linked to the boundary of the FZ, this analysis does\ndemonstrate the feasibility of monitoring transport barriers on the WFS using a\nHF-radar-based measurement system. The implications of a persistent cross-shelf\ntransport barrier on the WFS for the development of harmful algal blooms on the\nshoreward side of the barrier are considered.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0608077",
"authors": [
"M. J. Olascoaga",
"I. I. Rypina",
"M. G. Brown",
"F. J. Beron-Vera",
"H. Ko\u00e7ak",
"L. E. Brand",
"G. R. Halliwell",
"L. K. Shay"
],
"categories": [
"physics.ao-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1029/2006GL027800",
"title": "Persistent Transport Barrier on the West Florida Shelf",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0608077"
},
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