Why should an extra 10cm on the annual-average sea level at Fremantle foretell that an extra 2000t of Western Rock Lobster will be caught in 5 years time?
Many theories have been proposed, the forerunner being that some aspect of a stronger-than-average Leeuwin current results in more lobster larvae being advected onshore in La Nina years.
FRDC have funded a 3.5-year project to re-examine the question now that satellite altimetry offers a way of routinely mapping ocean surface currents at mesoscale resolution, with an unprecedented degree of confidence.
We are now halfway into the project and thought it might be worth presenting the approach we are taking, tools developed, some fascinating results, and half-baked theories.