Modeling the larvae dispersion of sun coral in the Brazil current off Cape Frio: A cyclonic eddy scenario

The study aims to understand the dispersal patterns of non-indigenous Tubastraea spp. (Sun Coral) larvae in the Brazil Current (BC), specifically in the Cape Frio recurrent cyclonic eddy (CFE) scenario. For this, the Regional Ocean Model System was used to simulate the hydrodynamic fields in a high-resolution nested grid, where a model of lagrangian floats, in a good approximation of the larvae properties and considering massive planulation events, was coupled with surface larval release from the Campos Basin area. The simulation was representative of mesoscale features compared to similar studies, ARGO vertical profiles and a py-eddy-track algorithm was used to obtain eddy variables, such as radius, rotational and translational velocities. These parameters are fundamental to access when an eddy tends to trap or not the water, heat and plankton in its interior. CFE turned out to be highly nonlinear, with a strong tendency to trap larvae in its core, acting as a dispersal constrictor when compared with the organisms in the axis of the higher speed of BC. A strong negative correlation (-0.75) was found between the days that larvae were inside the eddy and their distance from the origin. None of the 48,000 larvae released during simulated experiment a 16-day spawning event reached the coast. There are two different patterns for the dispersal, one along the shelf break and another, with higher larval density, off from the 1000 m isobath. The CFE's presence allows larvae to remain in the same region for longer periods, although in offshore areas. Therefore, as there is considerable availability of fixed substrates on oil rig structures, larvae could settle on them resulting in a possible inter-platforms connectivity between populations of Tubastraea spp. Also, regions in the CFE that present downward vertical velocities (downwelling), may move young larvae to depths of about 60 m suggesting that subsurface colonizations are possible due to specific dynamics of propagating cyclonic eddies. So, identifying the main factors that affect the dispersion of propagules is essential to subsidize management policies for controlling bioinvasion associated with exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in offshore areas.