Physical oceanography of the North Carolina continental shelf during the fall and winter seasons: implications for the transport of larval menhaden

Abstract

The circulation over the continental shelf off the southern Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) and northern South Atlantic Bight (SAB) is examined for the fall and winter periods. Observational data are compared with results from a three‐dimensional numerical model to identify the dominant processes on the shelf. By considering wind‐forcing, tides, and a specified upstream inflow (into the MAB), the observed and modelled flow fields are in close agreement in the mid‐ and inner shelf regions. The resulting larval drift indicates a seasonal dependence of transport pathways from spawning grounds to estuarine nursery areas for menhaden larvae and other offshore‐spawning estuarine‐dependent fish. Specifically, the physical oceanography of the MAB and SAB during the fall and winter months suggests a north‐to‐south shift in spawning areas providing recruits to the Carolina estuaries, in agreement with the observed migration of the spawning populations.