Flow dynamics near the Great Barrier Reef
This picture shows the flow dynamics that occur near the Great Barrier Reef. It is part of a model called CT-ROMS (Coral Triangle Regional Ocean Modelling System), which simulated 10 years of ocean activity in an area that holds the most complex flow patterns in the world, called the Indonesian Throughflow.
The flow data are being used to better understand coral reefs through a metric called Potential Connectivity, which demonstrates how well coral reefs can re-seed their neighbors with their larvae, after being carried by these complex flow patterns.
Understanding how reefs can regenerate eachother has never been more imperitive than it is right now, since we've observed the greatest coral bleaching event in recorded history at the Great Barrier Reef.
