[Coral-List] Numerical Coral Model

[Jaap Kaandorp]

Dear Whit,

This idea to include a coral model in a climate circulation models
sounds very interesting. Regarding your question about fluxes and
time scales, we might have some ideas about this. In my group we have
been developing models of growth and form of individual coral colonies and
the influence of the physical environment. In the models we have 
been investigating the influence of different flow velocities and flow patterns, 
(advection-)diffusion processes, available light intensities, and carbonate limitation of
the growth process. We have also investigated these environmental parameters
in 3D models created from actual corals using 3D images obtained with
computer tomography scanning (CT). Although our models are far more detailed (and contain
for example a detailed morphological description of the coral
colony) than what you probably will need in a climate circulation models, we might be
able to provide you with some estimations of fluxes, absorption of nutrients, time scales and model 
parameters.

Two papers about the coral models:
J.A. Kaandorp, P.M.A. Sloot, R.M.H. Merks, R.P.M. Bak and M.J.A. Vermeij,
Morphogenesis of the branching reef coral Madracis mirabilis,  
Proc. Roy. Soc. B. 272:127-133, 2005

J.A. Kaandorp, E.A. Koopman, P.M.A. Sloot, R.P.M. Bak, M.J.A. Vermeij and 
L.E.H. Lampmann Simulation and analysis of flow patterns around the scleractinian
coral Madracis mirabilis (Duchassaing and Michelotti). Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

Please let me know if we can help you here in creating such a climate circulation model
including a coral model and if it would be useful to talk more about this. 

best regards,

Jaap

>Message: 5
>Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 10:37:33 -0500
>From: Whit Anderson <whit.anderson at noaa.gov>
>Subject: [Coral-List] Numerical Coral Model
>To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>Message-ID: <E059FDEC-024A-4F4E-8404-D3BF56CE9EBC at noaa.gov>
>Content-Type: text/plain;       charset=US-ASCII;       delsp=yes;      format=flowed
>
>Good day,
>
>I am involved in the  implementing and testing of the ocean
>biogeochemical (OBGC) component (developed by John Dunne of GFDL) for
>one of our climate general circulation models. There are no plans
>(yet) to include a coral model in this system. I will be putting a
>LONG list of tracers into the ocean model to appease the OBGC
>component. This leads to my question; What would a coral model need
>(ie tracers and fluxes)? What kind of timescales are the relevant
>processes? My guess is that most of what is needed will be present in
>the system. This post is mostly just to satisfy my curiosity. Again,
>there are no plans to build and couple a coral model. But just in
>case...
>
>Cheers,
>
>Whit
>
>
>Whit Anderson, Ph.D.  Oceanographer <><
>Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA
>Princeton University
>Forrestal Campus, US Route 1 P.O. Box 308
>Princeton, New Jersey 08542
>Phone:     (609) 452-6500 ext 6948
>http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~wga


-- 
Dr. Jaap A. Kaandorp
Section Computational Science
Faculty of Science
University of Amsterdam
Kruislaan 403
1098 SJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 5257539 / +31 20 5257462
email: jaapk at science.uva.nl
fax: +31 20 5257490
URL: http://www.science.uva.nl/~jaapk/

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