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Menai Dispersal

This model shows particles (mussel larvae) being advected from a source at the Menai mussel farms. Here a very high resolution unstructured mesh model was developed for the Menai Strait and wider Irish Sea. The model resolves the complex tides, eddies, and intertidal regions of the Menai. The tidal residual flow in the Strait is southwestwards, and we can clearly see the particles being advected with the tidal residual. This simulation was repeated throughout the spring neap cycle to see the effect of the tide on dispersal, and ultimately to see where Menai mussels are expected to disperse.

Irish Sea Accumulations

This model shows a grid release of particles (larvae) in the Irish Sea, during April 2014. Here we wanted to show the likely ‘hotspots’ for particle accumulations – and also the ‘particle deserts’, where particles rarely accumulate. We repeated these simulations daily for the entire Apr-Sept season in 2014. This model is driven by the ~200m resolution Irish Sea model developed during ISPP.

Particle Model SW Europe

This model shows cohorts of particles (larvae) release along the European coastline and being advected for 2 weeks. You can see the effects of the strong tidal oscillations in the north (Irish Sea, English Channel) but also the density-driven eddies and gyres in the south. This model is driven by the ~2km resolution IBI Atlantic Area model.