The influence of extreme winds on coastal oceanography and its implications for coral population connectivity in the southern Arabian Gulf

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:105

Article

Cavalcante, Georgenes H.¹  Feary, David A.²  Burt, John A.³ 

[1] Univ Fed Alagoas, Inst Ciencias Atmosfer, BR-57072970 Maceio, AL, Brazil

[2] Univ Nottingham, Sch Life Sci, Nottingham NG7 2RD, England

[3] New York Univ Abu Dhabi, Ctr Genom & Syst Biol, POB 129188, Abu Dhabi, U Arab Emirates

关键词: Persian Gulf;    Arabian Gulf;    Shamal;    Wind;    Eddy;    Connectivity;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.10.031

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Using long-term oceanographic surveys and a 3-D hydrodynamic model we show that localized peak winds (known as shamals) cause fluctuation in water current speed and direction, and substantial oscillations in sea bottom salinity and temperature in the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf. Results also demonstrate that short-term shamal winds have substantial impacts on oceanographic processes along the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf coastline, resulting in formation of large-scale (52 km diameter) eddies extending from the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to areas near the off-shore islands of Iran. Such eddies likely play an important role in transporting larvae from well-developed reefs of the off-shore islands to the degraded reef systems of the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf, potentially maintaining genetic and ecological connectivity of these geographically distant populations and enabling enhanced recovery of degraded coral communities in the UAE. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free