On simulating cold-stunned sea turtle strandings on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
| Autor: | Robert Prescott, Huimin Zou, Mark Faherty, James P. Manning, Felicia Page, Xiaojian Liu |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Topography 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Beaches Marine and Aquatic Sciences Wind stress Wind Oceanography Ocean Waves 01 natural sciences Water column Oceans Multidisciplinary biology Simulation and Modeling Eukaryota Surface Temperature Turtles Cold Temperature Sea turtle Massachusetts Vertebrates Physical Sciences Medicine Ocean Modeling Research Article Ocean observations Surface Properties Science Materials Science Material Properties Research and Analysis Methods 010603 evolutionary biology Sea Water Animals Computer Simulation Ocean Temperature 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Landforms Ecology and Environmental Sciences Ocean current Organisms Biology and Life Sciences Reptiles Aquatic Environments Geomorphology Bodies of Water Wind direction biology.organism_classification Marine Environments Sea surface temperature Testudines Amniotes Earth Sciences Environmental science Bay |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE, Vol 14, Iss 12, p e0204717 (2019) PLoS ONE |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0204717 |
| Popis: | Kemp's ridley sea turtles were on the verge of extinction in the 1960s. While these sea turtles have slowly recovered, they are still critically endangered. In the last few years, the number of strandings on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts has increased by nearly an order of magnitude relative to preceding decades. This study uses a combination of ocean observations and a well-respected ocean model to investigate the causes and transport of cold-stunned sea turtles in Cape Cod Bay. After validating the model using satellite-tracked drifters and local temperature moorings, ocean currents were examined in Cape Cod Bay in an attempt to explain stranding locations as observed by volunteers and, for some years, backtracking was conducted to examine the potential source regions. The general finding of this study is that sub 10.5°C water temperatures in combination with persistently strong wind stress (>0.4 Pa), results in increased strandings along particular sections of the coast and are dependent on the wind direction. However, it is still uncertain where in the water column the majority of cold-stunned turtles reside and, if many of them are on the surface, considerable work will need to be done to incorporate the direct effects of wind and waves on the advective processes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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