Oyster salinity-based habitat monitoring in Bandon Bay, Surat Thani, Thailand: A coupled eco-hydrological model approach

Abstract

Bandon Bay in Surat Thani Province, Thailand, is one of the most productive aquaculture for oysters. In order to monitor a suitable area for oyster culture related to salinity, a coupled ecological and hydrodynamical model was constructed to describe the interaction between biological and physical processes in estuarine and coastal environments. The oyster food web is modified from the classical NPZ model in which the region of attraction, the existence of equilibrium points, their asymptotic stability conditions, and the non-existence of closed orbit were analyzed. The Princeton Ocean Model with monthly mean surface wind and river discharge was employed for ocean circulation. Finally, numerical simulation has revealed the interrelation between oyster population and their salinity-based habitat, with an output that quantify the consequences for oyster density, leading to suitable oyster culture areas possibly located around the mouths of Tha Chana canal and Thatong canal.