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Example of CBOLT model run output. Predicted path of oyster larvae
appear as red line features. Starting and ending positions are
shown as green and blue point features respectively.
Courtesy: NOAA Coastal Services Center
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Because the Chesapeake Bay's native oyster populations
are at historically low levels, the introduction of a nonnative species,
Crassostrea ariakensis, is being deliberated. Numerous oceanographic
parameters, such as tidal and wind forcing, water temperature and salinity
affect the transport of oyster larvae. Physical oceanographic models,
relying in part on in situ ocean observations of the aforementioned parameters,
exist to aid researchers in studying larval transport, but are currently
unavailable in a format suitable for use in management decisions. The
Chesapeake Bay Oyster Larvae Tracker (CBOLT) is a decision support tool,
developed to provide coastal managers with the information they need to
make better-informed decisions on the introduction of
C. ariakensis.
CBOLT is comprised of an intergrated system of components that allow users
to control a particle tracking model, and then examine the output as geospatial
features in a Web-based map interface. The goal of the project is to integrate
observational data with existing models to provide a Web-based tool for
the prediction of oyster larvae transport through the Chesapeake Bay.
The CBOLT mapping application can be accessed via the "Interactive
Mapping" link on this page. To learn more about the CBOLT project, please
visit the other sections of this Web site. For additional information,
please contact Dave Eslinger, Ph.D., NOAA Coastal Services Center, via
e-mail at Dave.Eslinger@noaa.gov,
or Doug Wilson, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, via e-mail at Doug.Wilson@noaa.gov.
