We have built on-line and off-line Lagrangian-tracking program for unstructured grids used in FVCOM. The program was tested using the 1995 and 1999 assimilated model results of the flow field. This particle tracking program has been upgraded, particularly for the online parallel run. With the hourly fields of 3-D currents and vertical mixing rate for 1995-2006, we are ready to examine the impact of the inter-annual variability of the physical environments on fishery and scallop recuriments in the Gulf of Maine, Mass Bay, and Georges Bank.
The particle tracking experiments were made by releasing particle in the Northeast Channel (NC), northern side of GB, Scotian Shelf, etc. The objective of these experiments are to examine the interannual variability of the water movement in the GoM/GB region and on-bank (Georges Bank) transport with influences of the deep water intrusion through NC, Scotian Shelf inflow and wind variations. By collaborating with New Hampshire University, we also examined the interannual varability of the Codfish larval recruitment in the western GoM coast and Mass Bay.
Two examples shown here are the particle tracking results for 1995 and 1999. In both years, particles were released on the first day of each month and tracked continuously until the end of the year. The significant interannual variability of the circulation could be clearly by comparing the animations for 1995 and 1999.
Be noted here that the results shown here are from our original experiments with no inclusion of the nested open boundary condtions. The updated results with the addition of the upstream boundary forcing is being produced to replace these old results.
