Transport and biological activity in chaotic open flows: a numerical study in idealized oceanic flows

The interplay between hydrodynamic motion and nutrient availability influences the distribution of plankton that makes up the basis of the aquatic food web. Horizontal stirring by mesoscale structures like vortices and wakes redistributes nutrients and enhances primary production, and can also initiate plankton blooms and affect the competition and coexistence of different plankton species. Vertical upwelling in connection with and Ekman flow and strong mesoscale activity occurs in the region the Canary Islands in the Atlantic ocean. The residence time of the plankton species in the structures in the wake is determined by the chaotic saddle, the vorticity and other nonlinear effects in the flow. The long residence times in the vicinity of the island and the hydrodynamic forcing and confinement of plankton in the vortices initiate localized plankton blooms.

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis.doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher

Universität Oldenburg

Year

2007

Author dc:creator

• Sandulescu, Mathias

• [Keine Schlagwörter von Autor/in vergeben.]

Repository record source_url

http://oops.uni-oldenburg.de/43

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oops.uni-oldenburg.de:43