Galapagos Islands are famous for unique endemics, who inspired Charles Darwin to create the theory of evolution. Today, the archipelago is one of the largest UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as a large maritime reserve.
Scientists know that the regional ecosystem is maintained by lifting cold-rich water-rich water. They contribute to the growth of phytoplankton, on which the entire ecosystem flourishes.
Apwelling factors (the process of lifting cold waters from the depths of the ocean) still remained unknown. Now scientists have found out how the Galapagos Islands support their unique environment.
A team from the University of Southampton, the National Oceanographic Center and the University of San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. Ecologists used a realistic computer model with high resolution to study the circulation of the ocean around the Galapagos Islands. The results of the work were published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
The model showed that the intensity of the Apwelling around the Galapagos Islands is due to local northern winds. They create a strong turbulence to the west of the islands. Turbulence, in turn, leads to an approach of deep water to the surface of the ocean. Thus, the supply of nutrients required to maintain the Galapagos ecosystem is replenished.
Alex Forrian from Southampton University, who conducted a study, said: "Our results show that Galapagos Apevelling is controlled by the interactions of the atmosphere and the ocean." In his opinion, it is necessary to pay special attention to these processes, studying how the islands ecosystem changes.
Also, scientists believe that knowledge of where and how nutrients comes to the Galapagos ecosystem will help to plan the expansion of the local maritime reserve. And also prompt how to manage it "in the conditions of growing climate change pressure and human use pressure."
Source: Naked Science