[Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory]

Modeling oyster larvae transport in Delaware Bay

 
Ecology of Infectious Diseases
National Science Foundation Logo

Collaborative Research: Field and Modeling Studies in Support of
Understanding Disease Resistance in Estuarine Populations and Response to Climate Change

 

 

We used Lagrangian particle tracking in the Delaware Bay circulation model coupled with an oyster larval model to infer the trajectories of oyster larvae produced in different regions of the bay.

Particles (=larvae) were “released” near the bottom in groups approximately co-located with known oyster beds.

Oyster Beds Figure 2

Starting locations for Lagrangian particles
mimicking oyster larvae.

Oyster Beds Figure 1

Delaware Bay New Jersey Natural Seed Oyster Beds. Dotted lines separate beds within particular salinity region. Numbers refer to seasonal range in average salinity within the region.

Simulations were

  • focused in July and August when oyster larvae are likely to be in the water.
  • with larvae as passive particles or as particles with known larval behavior (responding to increased salinity by rising in the water column and to decreased salinity by dropping)
   

Preliminary results for larvae as passive particles

  • July release: larvae are retained mostly on the New Jersey side of the Bay and accumulate inshore in the lower Bay
  • August release: greater transport of larvae toward the Delaware side of the Bay
  • considerable export of larvae from the Bay

Passive Figure

Oyster larval dispersion inferred from passive particle trajectories 30 days after release in July (top) or August (bottom). Colors correspond to oyster bed locations above.

Preliminary results for particles with larval behavior

  • July release: larvae are retained mostly on the New Jersey side of the Bay and accumulate inshore in the lower Bay
  • August release: greater transport of larvae toward the Delaware side of the Bay
  • larvae mostly retained within the Bay

Behavior Figure

Oyster larval dispersion inferred from trajectories of particles with larval behavior 30 days after release in July (top) or August (bottom).  Colors correspond to oyster bed locations above.