Thyng Kristen M, Hetland Robert D
Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, United States.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2017 Mar 15;116(1-2):226-233. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.12.074. Epub 2017 Jan 10.
A numerical study of connectivity between the continental shelf and coast in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico using a circulation model and surface-limited numerical drifters shows that despite seasonal changes in winds, the overall connectivity of the shelf with the coastline is similar in the winter and summer, though it extends more offshore in Texas in summer. However, there is a spatial pattern to the connectivity: more of the inner shelf is connected with the coast in Texas as compared with Louisiana. Subsets of the coast do have seasonal variability: the coast near both Galveston and Port Aransas has more connectivity from upcoast in the winter and from offshore and downcoast in the summer. In both seasons, we find drifters reach the Port Aransas coast most frequently, with a stronger trend in the summer. These results are important for assessing likely pathways for spilled oil and other potentially hazardous material.
利用环流模型和表面受限数值漂移器对墨西哥湾西北部大陆架与海岸之间的连通性进行的数值研究表明，尽管风存在季节性变化，但大陆架与海岸线的总体连通性在冬季和夏季相似，不过在夏季它在得克萨斯州向近海延伸得更远。然而，连通性存在空间格局：与路易斯安那州相比，得克萨斯州更多的内陆架与海岸相连。海岸的一些区域确实存在季节性变化：加尔维斯顿和阿兰萨斯港附近的海岸在冬季与上游海岸的连通性更强，而在夏季与近海和下游海岸的连通性更强。在两个季节中，我们发现漂移器最常抵达阿兰萨斯港海岸，且在夏季这种趋势更强。这些结果对于评估溢油和其他潜在有害物质可能的扩散路径很重要。
