Three-dimensional connectivity in the Gulf of California based on a numerical model

Abstract

Quantifying connectivity is useful for understanding the exchange and trapping of some tracers, such as fish larvae and nutrients. In the Gulf of California, connectivity studies have been limited to certain periods and regions. The current study investigated the connectivity among 17 areas, defined by the presence of eddies and weak or strong flows as obtained from a three-dimensional non-linear baroclinic model. The particles were released into the water column and advected for 28days using an advection–diffusion scheme. The results revealed a seasonal connectivity pattern. In the northern region, particle trapping was greater during the cyclonic circulation period (June to September) compared with the anticyclonic period (November to March). This high retention was due to both the presence of a cyclonic eddy in the central portion of the region and the intense northwestward flow off the coast of Sonora. Retentions were low for the large island region due to the intense exchange between the northern and southern regions. East of Ángel de La Guarda Island the transport occurred predominantly towards the northwest due to the nearly permanent deep flow in that direction and to a branching of the surface flow among the large islands during the anticyclonic period and the northwestward low during the cyclonic period. In the peninsular and central areas of the southern region, retentions were high due to weak flows and the presence of eddies, respectively. The greatest retention and low dispersion of particles in practically all of the provinces were recorded during the transition periods of the circulation.