Award: OCE-1155497

The main outcome of this research was the creation of a new computer program called beta-LTRANS-ADCIRC, a software package which simulates the movement of particles (like sediment, fish larvae, oil droplets) in the water. It was built to run with information from the 3D ADCIRC circulation model, a computer program that is used to predict water movement and storm surges in coastal areas. beta-LTRANS-ADCIRC will be used in a collaborative research program to expand knowledge of oyster population dynamics in Albemarle-Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. The code of beta-LTRANS-ADCIRC is available on line at http://northweb.hpl.umces.edu/LTRANS-ADCIRC.htm and is open-source and freely available. Therefore, this research makes the direct, and substantial, contribution of technology transfer to industry, management, and academic users. Computer programs like beta-LTRANS-ADCIRC are used by industry to forecast chemical and oil spills, by fisheries managers to help locate marine protected areas, and by academics to enhance understanding of the physical, biological and chemical processes that influence the fate and transport of chemical/oil spills as well as the movement of finfish and shellfish larvae. Because the new beta-LTRANS-ADCIRC software can be set up and run in any location where 3D ADCIRC exists, this freely available tool has the potential to support fisheries management and hazardous spill response and recovery efforts in coastal zones throughout the United States and the world. Last Modified: 08/30/2016 Submitted by: Elizabeth W North