@article{,

title = {Surface circulation and upwelling patterns around Sri Lanka},

author = {de Vos, A.,Pattiaratchi, C. B.,Wijeratne, E. M. S.},

url = {https://www.biogeosciences.net/11/5909/2014/},

issn = {1726-4189},

year  = {2014},

date = {2014-01-01},

journal = {Biogeosciences},

volume = {11},

number = {85},

pages = {5909-5930},

publisher = {Copernicus Publications},

abstract = {Sri Lanka occupies a unique location within the equatorial belt in the northern Indian Ocean, with the Arabian Sea on its western side and the Bay of Bengal on its eastern side, and experiences bi-annually reversing monsoon winds. Aggregations of blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) have been observed along the southern coast of Sri Lanka during the northeast (NE) monsoon, when satellite imagery indicates lower productivity in the surface waters. This study explored elements of the dynamics of the surface circulation and coastal upwelling in the waters around Sri Lanka using satellite imagery and numerical simulations using the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS). The model was run for 3 years to examine the seasonal and shorter-term (~10 days) variability. The results reproduced correctly the reversing current system, between the Equator and Sri Lanka, in response to the changing wind field: the eastward flowing Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC) during the southwest (SW) monsoon transporting 11.5 Sv (mean over 2010–2012) and the westward flowing Northeast Monsoon Current (NMC) transporting 9.6 Sv during the NE monsoon, respectively. A recirculation feature located to the east of Sri Lanka during the SW monsoon, the Sri Lanka Dome, is shown to result from the interaction between the SMC and the island of Sri Lanka. Along the eastern and western coasts, during both monsoon periods, flow is southward converging along the southern coast. During the SW monsoon, the island deflects the eastward flowing SMC southward, whilst along the eastern coast, the southward flow results from the Sri Lanka Dome recirculation. The major upwelling region, during both monsoon periods, is located along the southern coast, resulting from southward flow converging along the southern coast and subsequent divergence associated with the offshore transport of water. Higher surface chlorophyll concentrations were observed during the SW monsoon. The location of the flow convergence and hence the upwelling centre was dependent on the relative strengths of wind-driven flow along the eastern and western coasts: during the SW (NE) monsoon, the flow along the western (eastern) coast was stronger, migrating the upwelling centre to the east (west).},

keywords = {currents, Indian Ocean, oceanography, productivity, remote sensing, Sri Lanka},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{,

title = {Molecular ecology meets remote sensing: environmental drivers to population structure of humpback dolphins in the Western Indian Ocean},

author = {Mendez, M.,Subramaniam, A.,Collins, T.,Minton, G.,Baldwin, R.,Berggren, P.,Sa¨rnblad, A.,Amir, O. A.,Peddemors, V.,Karczmarski, L.,Guissamulo, A.,Rosenbaum, H.C.},

year  = {2011},

date = {2011-01-01},

journal = {Heredity},

number = {404},

pages = {1-13},

abstract = {Genetic analyses of population structure can be placed in

explicit environmental contexts if appropriate environmental

data are available. Here, we use high-coverage and highresolution

oceanographic and genetic sequence data to

assess population structure patterns and their potential

environmental influences for humpback dolphins in the

Western Indian Ocean. We analyzed mitochondrial DNA

data from 94 dolphins from the coasts of South Africa,

Mozambique, Tanzania and Oman, employing frequencybased

and maximum-likelihood algorithms to assess population

structure and migration patterns. The genetic data were

combined with 13 years of remote sensing oceanographic

data of variables known to influence cetacean dispersal and

population structure. Our analyses show strong and highly

significant genetic structure between all putative populations,

except for those in South Africa and Mozambique. Interestingly,

the oceanographic data display marked environmental

heterogeneity between all sampling areas and a degree of

overlap between South Africa and Mozambique. Our

combined analyses therefore suggest the occurrence of

genetically isolated populations of humpback dolphins in

areas that are environmentally distinct. This study highlights

the utility of molecular tools in combination with highresolution

and high-coverage environmental data to address

questions not only pertaining to genetic population structure,

but also to relevant ecological processes in marine species},

keywords = {Genetic differentiation, indopacific humpback dolphin, migration, population structure, remote sensing, sousa, Sousa chinensis},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}