Interannual variability in Indian Ocean surface waters and tuna-environment relationships : filling the gaps with a coupled bio-physical ocean model

Abstract

Study of the Indian Ocean has lagged behind that of the Atlantic and Pacific, with large knowledge gaps remaining in our understanding of regional or basin-scale controls on productivity and higher trophic levels. A lack of in situ data, especially for mid and upper trophic-level organisms, has commonly limited to small spatiotemporal scales, investigations into environmental control of biological systems. These data gaps are increasingly being filled by coupled bio-physical ocean models. Throughout this thesis, outputs from such a coupled ocean model (NEMO-PISCES) were employed to provide hindcast (1961-2001) records of three-dimensional environmental fields in the Indian Ocean.