Modeling nonlinear physical-biological interactions: Eddies and Sargassum in the North Atlantic

Maureen Brooks, Ohio Supercomputer Center

Usage Details

Sargassum is iconic in the North Atlantic, but the mechanisms enabling this seaweed to provide habitat for fishes, turtles and microorganisms in one of the most nutrient poor gyres of the globe are unknown. Features such as eddies can both disperse Sargassum and alter local nutrients through upwelling. Brooks will conduct a modeling study to link Sargassum distribution mechanistically to physical, biogeochemical, and organismal processes. The computing power of Blue Waters will enable the coupling of eddy resolving ocean circulation, biogeochemical, and Lagrangian particle Sargassum community models. Lagrangian coherent structure analysis will be used to determine the role of eddies in dispersal and growth of Sargassum.