Connectivity Interface (NWSJEMS ConnIe): Dynamic web display of MECO Modelled Circulation Patterns in the Australian North West Shelf Area

The Connectivity Interface or "ConnIe" has been developed as a tool for environmental scientists and managers to investigate the patterns of spatial connectivity on Australia's North West Shelf (NWS). Specifically, it provides the user with an estimate of the probability that any two regions are connected by modelled ocean circulation over a specified dispersion period. These connectivity statistics were computed from the paths of neutrally buoyant particles computed from the "Northwest" circulation model (based on MECO), run over the period from 1994 to 1999. The circulation model used a rotated latitude-longitude grid, with a horizontal resolution of approximately 10km and a vertical resolution expanding from 3 m near the surface to a maximum of 200 m at depths below 1000 m. The model was forced by wind fields from the NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis, while temperature and salinity fields around the lateral boundaries were interpolated from a global circulation model known as the Australian Community Ocean Model (ACOM). Sea levels on the boundaries were also taken from the global model output, with the addition of a tidal component derived from a combination of coastal sea level data and output from a global tidal model. ConnIe is expected to find applications in areas such as larval dispersion and recruitment studies, and the development of scenarios and risk assessments for contaminant dispersion.