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The effect of model tidal forcing on virtual particle dispersion and accumulation at the ocean surface
  • +6
  • Laura Gomez-Navarro,
  • Erik Van Sebille,
  • Verónica MORALES MÁRQUEZ,
  • Ismael Hernandez-Carrasco,
  • Aurelie Albert,
  • Clement Ubelmann,
  • Julien Le Sommer,
  • Jean-Marc Molines,
  • Laurent Brodeau
Laura Gomez-Navarro
Utrecht University, Utrecht University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Erik Van Sebille
Utrecht University, Utrecht University
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Verónica MORALES MÁRQUEZ
Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie, Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie
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Ismael Hernandez-Carrasco
SOCIB / IMEDEA, SOCIB / IMEDEA
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Aurelie Albert
Universite Grenoble Alpes /CNRS/IGE, Universite Grenoble Alpes /CNRS/IGE
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Clement Ubelmann
Datlas, Datlas
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Julien Le Sommer
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, IGE, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, IGE
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Jean-Marc Molines
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
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Laurent Brodeau
Datlas, Datlas
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Abstract

Understanding the pathways of floating material at the surface ocean is important to improve our knowledge on surface circulation and for its ecological and environmental impacts. Virtual particle simulations are a common method to simulate the dispersion of floating material. To advect the particles, ocean models’ velocities are usually used, but only recent ones include tidal forcing. Our research question is: What is the effect of tidal forcing on virtual particle dispersion and accumulation at the ocean surface? As inputs we use velocity outputs from eNATL60, a twin simulation with and without tidal forcing. We focus on the Açores Islands region and we find: 1) Surface particles have a larger displacement, but a lower distance travelled with than without tidal forcing 2) Surface accumulation seasonal differences depend on the spatial scale of the ocean structures 3) A greater variability in surface accumulation is present with tidal forcing.
05 Dec 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
07 Dec 2023Published in ESS Open Archive