Facts and numerical artefacts in modelling the dispersal of crown-of-thorns starfish larvae in the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract

Existing models of the dispersal of crown-of-thorns starfish larvae in the Great Barrier Reef suffer from problems with numerical algorithms, unrealistic assumptions about open-boundary forcings, and unrealistic parameterization of dispersion processes in the presence of salient topography. These problems probably invalidate some of the published model results, and these models should probably not be used for management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.