West Florida Shelf Circulation on Synoptic, Seasonal, and Interannual Time Scales

Weisberg, Robert H.; He, Ruoying; Liu, Yonggang; Virmani, Jyotika I.

doi:10.1029/161gm23

Cited by 52 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Our 6 yr mean wind and surface current fields (Fig. 16) reproduced many known features identified in earlier studies (e.g., Weisberg, 2002, 2003;Weisberg et al, 2005). Annual riverine nitrogen input (12.76 × 10 9 mol N yr −1 ) to the WFS was comparable to that to the BOC shelf (12.42 × 10 9 mol N yr −1 , Table 2).…”

Section: Wfssupporting

confidence: 72%

Modeling ocean circulation and biogeochemical variability in the Gulf of Mexico

Xue

Fennel

et al. 2013

Biogeosciences

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Abstract.A three-dimensional coupled physicalbiogeochemical model is applied to simulate and examine temporal and spatial variability of circulation and biogeochemical cycling in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The model is driven by realistic atmospheric forcing, open boundary conditions from a data assimilative global ocean circulation model, and observed freshwater and terrestrial nitrogen input from major rivers. A 7 yr model hindcast (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010) was performed, and validated against satellite observed sea surface height, surface chlorophyll, and in situ observations including coastal sea level, ocean temperature, salinity, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration. The model hindcast revealed clear seasonality in DIN, phytoplankton and zooplankton distributions in the GoM. An empirical orthogonal function analysis indicated a phaselocked pattern among DIN, phytoplankton and zooplankton concentrations. The GoM shelf nitrogen budget was also quantified, revealing that on an annual basis the DIN input is largely balanced by the removal through denitrification (an equivalent of ∼ 80 % of DIN input) and offshore exports to the deep ocean (an equivalent of ∼ 17 % of DIN input).

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Section: Wfssupporting

confidence: 72%

Modeling ocean circulation and biogeochemical variability in the Gulf of Mexico

Xue

Fennel

et al. 2013

Biogeosciences

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“…He and Weisberg (2002) found that such a current could be established in spring over the western part of the WFS. This potential shelf route for the southward advection of MR waters in the GoM is also mentioned in Weisberg et al (2005), but it has never been actually observed in the case of longdistance MR water export episode. Another novel aspect of our study is to employ a unique set of observations that confirms model-based findings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Mississippi waters reaching South Florida reefs under no flood conditions: synthesis of observing and modeling system findings

Hénaff

Kourafalou

2016

Ocean Dynamics

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In August 2014, in situ measurements revealed an intense salinity drop impacting South Florida coral reefs, between Pulley Ridge (Southwest Florida Shelf) and the Florida Keys. The low salinity waters had a surface signal of 32 (down from 35.2) and extended over a 15-20-m deep lens. Satellite observations showed that this abrupt drop in salinity was due to a southeastward export of Mississippi River waters from the Northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM), revealing strong interaction between coastal and oceanic flows. Unlike previous events of marked long-distance Mississippi water export, this episode is not associated with Mississippi flooding conditions, which makes it a unique study case. We have developed a highresolution (~2 km) comprehensive hydrodynamic numerical model of the GoM to study the conditions that controlled the 2014 Mississippi River water export episode. It is based on the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and assimilates remotely sensed altimetry and sea surface temperature observations, to ensure that the simulated upper-ocean is realistic.

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“…The west Florida shelf (WFS) displays a strong coherent response to synoptic-scale alongshore wind forcing Weisberg 1999a, 1999b;Weisberg et al 2000Weisberg et al , 2005 that is also observed on the inner SWF shelf . According to , synoptic-scale upwelling (downwelling) alongshore winds, together with the coastal constraint, results in barotropic alongshore currents over the shelf aligned with the wind direction at the surface and balanced by set-up (set-down) of the coastal sea level.…”

Section: Southwest Florida Shelf Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Larval Transport and Settlement of Pink Shrimp in South Florida: Dynamics of Behavior and Tides

2015

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The pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus duorarum, one of the commercially important Penaeidae, reproduces offshore of the southwest Florida (SWF) shelf. Larvae migrate to nursery grounds in estuarine Florida Bay. Using a numerical approach, we investigated the role of spawning location, larval traits, and physical forces on the transport of pink shrimp larvae. First, the Regional Oceanic Modeling System that is based on tides, air–ocean fluxes, and freshwater flows was used to simulate the SWF shelf oceanography. The model replicates the tides, winds, salinity, currents, and seasonality of the shelf. Secondly, the Regional Oceanic Modeling System was coupled offline with the Connectivity Modeling System, in which virtual larvae were released near the surface from two spawning sites, Dry Tortugas and Marquesas, and tracked until the time for settlement (about 28–30 d). Virtual larvae moved vertically in the water column following ontogenetic behaviors previously observed in the field: diel vertical migration (DVM) and selective tidal stream transport (STST). Lagrangian trajectories indicated that migration paths changed radically between summer and winter during model years (1995–1997). Maximum settlements occurred in summer by larvae crossing the SWF shelf, while the lowest settlement occurred in winter by larvae moving through passes in the Florida Keys. Modeling results demonstrated an effective east‐northeast transport across the SWF shelf during summer as a result of the tidal currents, the subtidal currents, and the combined DVM and STST behaviors. The current phase captured during the initial DVM period was critical to determine the direction in which larvae move, favorable (east and northward) or unfavorable (south and westward), before the STST behavior captures the eastward tidal current that brings larvae to the nursery grounds. Unfavorable currents were driven by the summer easterlies and low salinities at the coast. Results indicated that Marquesas is the more effective spawning ground, with 4.5 times more likely settlement of originating larvae compared with Dry Tortugas. Model‐estimated seasonal settlement patterns concurred with postlarval influxes previously observed at Florida Bay boundaries. Received June 26, 2014; accepted December 7, 2014

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West Florida Shelf Circulation on Synoptic, Seasonal, and Interannual Time Scales

Cited by 52 publications

References 60 publications

Modeling ocean circulation and biogeochemical variability in the Gulf of Mexico

Modeling ocean circulation and biogeochemical variability in the Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi waters reaching South Florida reefs under no flood conditions: synthesis of observing and modeling system findings

Modeling Larval Transport and Settlement of Pink Shrimp in South Florida: Dynamics of Behavior and Tides

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