Trans-Pacific dispersal of loggerhead turtle hatchlings inferred from numerical simulation modeling
Okuyama, J.; Kitagawa, T.; Zenimoto, K.; Kimura, S.; Arai, N.; Sasai, Y.; Sasaki, H. (2011). Trans-Pacific dispersal of loggerhead turtle hatchlings inferred from numerical simulation modeling. Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 158(9): 2055-2063. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1712-9
In: Marine Biology: International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0025-3162; e-ISSN 1432-1793, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Okuyama, J.
- Kitagawa, T.
- Zenimoto, K.
- Kimura, S.
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- Arai, N.
- Sasai, Y.
- Sasaki, H.
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| Abstract |
We used Lagrangian numerical simulations to examine the trans-Pacific dispersal processes of loggerhead turtle hatchlings. Ten thousand simulated particles were released from each of the three nesting regions in Japan and tracked for 5 years. Results showed many particles moving eastward, drifting in the Kuroshio Current followed by the Kuroshio Extension Current. However, no particles reached Baja California, a known feeding area, through passive processes, indicating that trans-Pacific transportation requires active swimming by turtles. The duration of the trans-Pacific dispersal was estimated to be at least 1.6–3.4 years, with some turtles drifting in the Kuroshio Countercurrent and remaining in the western Pacific even after 5 years. This indicates that as revealed by previous genetic studies, not all loggerheads always disperse along a trans-Pacific route. The findings showed that survival and expected growth rates varied widely according to ambient temperatures during drifting, which in turn depended on nesting location. |
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