The physical environment of Scott Reef, Western Australia (2003)

Ten current meter moorings, a weather station, two tide gauges and 45 temperature loggers were deployed at Scott Reef, prior to the coral spawning event in March, 2003 and recovered in June, 2003. In addition to moored instruments, surface drifters were deployed to map surface circulation. CTD casts were also made. Arrays of instruments were deployed to quantify patterns of water circulation and stratification in the vicinity of Scott Reef. Surface drifters were deployed to observe both the local fine scale circulation in the immediate vicinity of Scott Reef, and to better understand the potential connectivity between reef systems along this region of the West Australian North West Shelf and possible transport of spawned material. The goal was to elucidate key physical oceanographic mechanisms influencing observed temporal and spatial variability of coral recruitment and coral bleaching at Scott Reef.As part of this study a preliminary depth-averaged hydrodynamic model was developed and applied to describe in broad detail the major features of depth averaged tidal circulation. This research is the "Physical Environment" sub-project of the project "Biological and Physical Environment at Scott Reef 2003"

2003年3月珊瑚产卵事件发生前，研究团队在斯科特礁（Scott Reef）部署了10套海流计锚系（current meter moorings）、1座气象站、2台验潮仪（tide gauges）以及45台温度记录仪（temperature loggers），并于2003年6月完成回收。除锚定观测仪器外，研究团队还部署了表面漂流浮标（surface drifters）以绘制表层环流分布图，并开展了温盐深（CTD）剖面观测。本次部署的仪器阵列旨在量化斯科特礁周边海域的水环流与层化（stratification）模式。此次部署表面漂流浮标，一方面用于观测斯科特礁紧邻区域的局地精细尺度环流，另一方面旨在更深入地理解西澳大利亚西北陆架（West Australian North West Shelf）该区域沿岸礁体系统间的潜在连通性，以及产卵物质的可能输运路径。本研究的核心目标是阐明影响斯科特礁珊瑚幼体补充（coral recruitment）与珊瑚白化（coral bleaching）时空变异特征的关键物理海洋学机制。作为本研究的一部分，研发并应用了一套初步的深度平均水动力模型（hydrodynamic model），以概略描述深度平均潮汐环流（tidal circulation）的主要特征。本研究为"2003年斯科特礁生物与物理环境"项目的"物理环境"子课题。