Abstract

Nowadays, in order to better understand and forecast the dynamics of the oceans, we have a powerful tool, which are the numerical models. Their main approach is to perform numerical simulations of a natural environment. In this sense, the analysis of connectivity and dispersion of passive or inert particles in the bay of Banderas was carried out to define circulation patterns, variability, trajectories, areas of accumulation of wastes and contaminants due to the residues thrown by the Ameca River. For this purpose, the Delft3D hydrodynamic numerical model was used during the period between June 16 and September 16, 2013. Nine idealized experiments were developed, in which the tide, the wind and the river discharge (and their combinations) were considered as forcing. It was obtained that the tide is the forcing that most influences the dynamic of the region. The wind (atmospheric forcing) acts as a secondary mechanism along with the discharge of the river. The submarine cannon causes a dynamic barrier, induced by the acceleration of the currents that prevents the passage of particles between the north and the south-central zone of the bay. Therefore, high particle retention was observed in the center of the bay in the forced tidal experiments with approximately 60% accumulation, regardless of the place where the particles were released. This finding is linked to the semi-permanent cyclonic swirl, located in the central region of the bay, which is caused by the Mexican Coastal Current.