Linking oceanographic processes and marine resources in the Western Caribbean 

Laura Carrillo, Ph.D.EL COLEGIO DE LA FRONTERA SUR

LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS SYMPOSIUM. “ Towards a regional assessment of LAC LMEs ”Cancún, Quintana Roo, México. September 7-8, 2015

OceanografíaECOSUR

Main topics

Multiple spatio-temporal scales (variability)

Some oceanographic aspects of the Western Caribbean

Marine resources: Food, habitat, energy

Examples of marine resourses and oceanographic processes in the Western Caribbean

Current studies and monitoring

Scales and variability

There different spatio-temporal scales. From that variability, there are physical processes clearly indentified.

Large scale, mesoscale, submesoscale, small scale

Significant signal, can be identified from observations

CCYCLCFCGCeddies

Drifters trajectories

Carrillo et al, submitted to CSRPathways and hydrography in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef SystemPart 1: Circulation

Biology : life cycle, Early LIFEDispersion, life cycle of these marine resources linked directly with oceanographic proceses

Life cycle, spawning,dispersion

Large scale-Pelagic fish: Tuna

Regional scale: Lobster

Subregional: Queen Conch, Reef fish ( Lutjanidae and Groupers)

Pelagic fish: Tuna as a large scale connectivity

Tuna in the Atlantic,, Mediterranean and Gulf of mexico as spawning, but also the Caribbean and then studies of the project from NOAA, and now a collaboration by using oceanographic cruises, campaings.Project ECOlogía trófica comparativa de LArvas de aTUN rojoatlántico (Thunnus thynnus) de las áreas de puesta del Medterraneo-NO y el Golfo de México. Laiz et al

Bluefin tuna: Thunnus thynnus

Muhling et al. 2011

Bluefin tuna: Thunnus thynnus

Other pelagics

Southern Mexico

Thunnus atlanticus

Southern Belize

Blackfin Tuna

Sail fish, Istiophorus platypterus

Who laid the egg? Establishing the Identity of Fish Eggs in the Southeast Yucatan Peninsula with DNA Barcodes, (Leyva et al submitted to Journal of Fish Biology)

Lobster as example of regional connectivity

ABUNDANCE AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PANULIRUS SPP. PHYLLOSOMAS OFF THE COAST OF THE MEXICAN CARIBBEAN (Sosa-Cordero et al. submitted to Bull. Mar. Sci)

Distribución y abundancia de larvas filosomas tardías de langostas Achelata en el Caribe mexicano y su relación con procesos oceánicos (Muñoz de Cote, Master-Thesis

UNAM)

Carrillo et al, submitted to CSR

Queen conch (Strombus gigas) Regional and more coastal restricted

Separation between Alacranes reef (GM) from Chinchorro Bank (Caribbean), example

Oceanographic processes can connect or can separate

Paris et al 2009

Enriquez et al 2010

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE LARVAL FISH DISTRIBUTION IN THE LOOP CURRENT IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AFTER THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL , Morales et al.

Reef fish; groupers Reef , timing, reproductive aggregations sites

Spawning aggregation sitesSosa-Cordero et al 2009) reported 59 sites at the Mexican Caribbean only

-8 -4 0 4 8

100-75m

75-50m

50-25m

25-0m

Larvae/m3

Xyrichthys spp.

Day

Night

-6 -2 2 6

100-75m

75-50m

50-25m

25-0m

Larvae/m3

Thalassoma bifasciatum

Day

Night

Muhling et al, 2013Carrillo et al, submitted to CSR

Carrillo et al

Vásquez-Yeomans

Carrillo and Vásquez

Monitoring and current studies

Regional scale: Remote sensing,

Biophysical Numerical models

Direct observations (This is key) by:

Oceanographic campains (bio-physical aspects)

Coastal observations

Understanding:

variability

Links with resources, example the mesoamerican, recruitment and physcal processes experiment

Coastal observational programs

CAPACITY BUILDING

Capacity building and monitoring in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System

Oceanographic campaings

2007 2009

2010

Map: Muhling, B.Map: Muhling, B.

2011

2006

2015 Oceanographic cruise:USA-MEX-CUBA-SPAIN

Thanks

OceanografíaECOSUR