New model predicts locations of biological hotspots in the ocean

Each year thousands of people come to Monterey Bay to watch the feeding frenzies of seabirds, sea lions, and humpback whales. But why do certain coastal areas, such as Monterey Bay, become meccas for both humans and wildlife? A new computer model by MBARI researchers Monique Messié and Francisco Chavez can predict the locations of biological hotspots around the world, using only basic information about the local winds, currents, and concentrations of nitrate, which acts like a fertilizer for marine algae. Messié and Chavez recently published a description of their new model in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.