Abstract
The Sekisei Lagoon surrounded by the Yaeyama archipelago is one of coral
reef areas in Japan. However, it has been partly damaged due to several causes. It
is important to note that the transport of coral eggs and larvae by the flow from the
source area, that is less damaged, will contribute to the recruitment and recovery
of the damaged area. Our goal is to identify the trajectory coral eggs and larvae
from the source area to the recruitment area based on the modeling of physical
circumstances including the flow and dispersion. It will help ascertain the protec
tive area and clarify the restoration process of damaged coral reefs. As the first
step, we examine a flow pattern in summer in the Sekisei Lagoon using a numerical
simulation of a multi-level hydrostatic model with a two-stepped Nested area. We
focus on the flow pattern both of the whole Sekisei Lagoon and the part around
Kuroshima, which locates in the southern part of this lagoon. The model is driven
by the averaged wind stress in summer and the M2 tidal component. The results
show that the northward current about lOcm/s, which basically follows the wind
direction, dominates along the eastern coast of Kuroshima and a weak flow exists
the southeastern side of Kuroshima.
