Presentation Abstract

The discovery of several populations of an invasive Asian clam (corbicula fluminea) in Lake Whatcom, the drinking water source for approximately 100,000 people in Northern Washington State, created a need among elected officials, local government staff, and the public for a better understanding of lake hydrodynamics during the reproductive season for the Asian clam, and for times when Quagga and Zebra mussel invasions are likely. Seasonal vertical thermal stratification of the lake and a desire to predict likely locations of additional clam populations or of new populations of mussels led to the choice of a model that could be configured for three-dimensional hydrodynamic analysis to predict likely trajectories of larvae after spawning. The General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM) was chosen. GETM is a standard model widely used for near-shore oceanographic modelling where stratification and steep bottom topography are similar to the physical conditions in Lake Whatcom. Because application of this work to an estuarine environment would be straightforward--requiring the specification of open boundaries, the input of tidal elevations at open boundaries, and salinity profiles--it serves as a platform for similar studies of invasive species in the Salish Sea.

Session Title

General species and food webs

Keywords

Keywords: Lake Whatcom, dispersal, clams, invasive species, application, hydrodynamics, estuarine, ecosystems

Conference Track

Species and Food Webs

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2016 12:00 AM

End Date

2016 12:00 AM

Location

2016SSEC

Type of Presentation

Poster

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Introduced mollusks--Washington (State)--Whatcom, Lake; Introduced mollusks--Colonization--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash,)--Simulation methods

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Comments

Keywords: Lake Whatcom, dispersal, clams, invasive species, application, hydrodynamics, estuarine, ecosystems

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Simulating the Dispersal of Invasive Clams in a Freshwater Lake Using a Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Model; a prototype for Simulating Invasions in Marine Ecosystems

2016SSEC

The discovery of several populations of an invasive Asian clam (corbicula fluminea) in Lake Whatcom, the drinking water source for approximately 100,000 people in Northern Washington State, created a need among elected officials, local government staff, and the public for a better understanding of lake hydrodynamics during the reproductive season for the Asian clam, and for times when Quagga and Zebra mussel invasions are likely. Seasonal vertical thermal stratification of the lake and a desire to predict likely locations of additional clam populations or of new populations of mussels led to the choice of a model that could be configured for three-dimensional hydrodynamic analysis to predict likely trajectories of larvae after spawning. The General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM) was chosen. GETM is a standard model widely used for near-shore oceanographic modelling where stratification and steep bottom topography are similar to the physical conditions in Lake Whatcom. Because application of this work to an estuarine environment would be straightforward--requiring the specification of open boundaries, the input of tidal elevations at open boundaries, and salinity profiles--it serves as a platform for similar studies of invasive species in the Salish Sea.