Characterization of south central Pacific Ocean wind regimes in present and future climate for pearl farming application

In the South Pacific (SP) pearl farming atolls, wind is the main driver of lagoon water circulation, affecting dispersal and survival of pearl oyster larvae. To characterize typical wind conditions in the SP, wind regime classifications are performed from regional climate simulations using the WRF m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2020-11, Vol.160, p.111584-111584, Article 111584
Main Authors: Dutheil, Cyril, Andrefouët, S., Jullien, S., Le Gendre, R., Aucan, J., Menkes, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate change
Geophysics
Pearl farming
Physics
South Central Pacific atolls
Surface wind conditions
Weather regime
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Summary:In the South Pacific (SP) pearl farming atolls, wind is the main driver of lagoon water circulation, affecting dispersal and survival of pearl oyster larvae. To characterize typical wind conditions in the SP, wind regime classifications are performed from regional climate simulations using the WRF model, for present-day and for the end of the 21st century under RCP8.5 scenario conditions. At the daily time-scale, 4 regimes are identified: a trade-wind, a north-easterly, and two easterly regimes. Their characteristics are driven by large-scale circulation and climate modes of variability. In future projection, all regimes are characterized by a ~15% wind speed increase, while directions and occurrence frequencies undergo marginal changes. At the monthly time-scale that corresponds to pearl oyster pelagic larval duration, nine wind regimes are determined including three regimes with wind reversals. These regimes can be used to model typical lagoon conditions during larval dispersal. •Wind is one of the main drivers of atoll lagoon circulation and larval dispersal.•Four wind regimes are identified at day-scale based on 10 m u-v wind components.•30-day long regimes characterize lagoon conditions during larval dispersal.•Climate change could increase wind speed by 15% in the South Central Pacific.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111584