In order to integrate disease and population processes, including reconstruction of the epizootic event of 1984 - 86 and the subsequent increased resistance in the oyster population, we developed and validated a 3-dimensional circulation model of the Delaware Bay that can be used to experimentally track water-borne particles such as oyster larvae and parasites.
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The Model is based on the Regional Ocean Modeling system (ROMS).
It includes
- the Delaware River and Estuary and adjacent shelf to about the 200m isobath.
- variable horizontal resolutions
- 386 x 98 grid points
- 20 vertical levels
- bathymetry from NGDC Coastal Relief Model (NOAA)
- freshwater input from 6 rivers
- boundary forcing from a global tidal model
- atmospheric forcing from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR)
Datasets for 1984 and 1985 (NOAA/NOS/OCS/CSDL) were used to validate model output for tides, salinity and temperature.
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Preliminary runs indicate
- good agreement with tidal phase and amplitude
- reproduction of the seasonal temperature cycle
- reproduction of the salinity amplitude, but still requires refinement


