WAMSI Node 4.4.2-2c - Drift current trajectories along the SW Australian continental shelf

Six free-drifting GPS-tracked buoys were released off Mandurah and Cape Naturaliste in November 2008 and March 2009. Two of these moved off the continental shelf, one northwards into the equatorial Indian Ocean and the other was entrained into the Leeuwin Current and was carried around to the south coast. The other four buoys drifted northwards along the continental shelf in the Capes Current, but showed some interesting current reversals and small-scale variability. These results are giving us a better idea of the likely movements of dhufish larvae (which spawn in this area in summer), both in terms of temporary retention in eddies/reversals and potential dispersal along the shelf.2008年11月与2009年3月，研究人员在曼杜拉（Mandurah）与纳特拉斯蒂角（Cape Naturaliste）外海投放了6台GPS追踪型自由漂流浮标。其中2台浮标脱离了大陆架（continental shelf）：1台向北漂移进入赤道印度洋，另一台则被卷入勒温海流（Leeuwin Current）并被输送至南海岸。剩余4台浮标沿岬角海流（Capes Current）途经的大陆架向北漂移，观测到了显著的海流逆转现象与小尺度流场变异。上述观测结果有助于我们更清晰地掌握夏季在此海域产卵的西澳海鲷（dhufish）幼体的潜在移动路径，包括其在涡旋或海流逆转过程中的临时滞留，以及沿大陆架的潜在扩散情况。