{"690521":{"#nid":"690521","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Luisa Fernanda Lopera Garcia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EDoctor of Philosophy in Ocean Science \u0026amp; Engineering\u003Cbr\u003EIn the\u003Cbr\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ELuisa Fernanda Lopera Garcia\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWill defend her dissertation\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECONNECTIVITY AMONG MESOPHOTIC CORAL ECOSYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ROLE OF SUBMESOSCALE CIRCULATIONS\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E29TH May 2026\u003Cbr\u003E2:00 pm EST\u003Cbr\u003EFord ES\u0026amp;T 3235 \u2013 The ocean room\u003Cbr\u003Ehttps:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/92021737062\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThesis Advisor:\u003Cbr\u003EAnnalisa Bracco, Ph.D\u003Cbr\u003ECMCC Foundation\u003Cbr\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommittee Members:\u003Cbr\u003EJoseph Montoya, Ph.D.\u003Cbr\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ETakamitsu Ito, Ph.D.\u003Cbr\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EKevin Haas, Ph.D.\u003Cbr\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ESantiago Herrera, Ph.D.\u003Cbr\u003EDepartment of Biological Sciences\u003Cbr\u003ELehigh University\u003Cbr\u003EABSTRACT:\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EConnectivity, defined as the exchange of genetic material among geographically separated ecosystems, is a key process for maintaining biodiversity and supporting reef resilience. Understanding connectivity patterns is crucial for marine planning, particularly in the design of marine protected areas and restoration plans. This thesis investigates how ocean circulation, model resolution, and biological traits influence potential connectivity among mesophotic coral ecosystems in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Using high-resolution ocean simulations coupled with a Lagrangian particle tracking tool, this work evaluates passive and biologically informed dispersal across multiple seasons and years. Results show that connectivity among mesophotic reef environments is generally weak, even among geographically close sites, but episodic shelf-break transport can create intermittent pathways between otherwise isolated reefs. Connectivity magnitude is enhanced during winter and spring, while directionality is strongly affected by intraseasonal variability. This thesis also shows that passive-particle simulations alone can misrepresent ecological connectivity, as species-specific traits such as vertical migration and pelagic larval duration substantially modify transport pathways. Preliminary resolution-sensitivity experiments suggest that sub-kilometer simulations reveal additional weak or episodic connections, although the dominant connectivity patterns remain broadly similar to those captured at 1 km. Overall, this work demonstrates that reliable connectivity assessments require both biologically informed particle-tracking experiments and ocean models capable of representing the physical processes that shape transport in complex shelf-break environments.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONNECTIVITY AMONG MESOPHOTIC CORAL ECOSYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ROLE OF SUBMESOSCALE CIRCULATIONS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"CONNECTIVITY AMONG MESOPHOTIC CORAL ECOSYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ROLE OF SUBMESOSCALE CIRCULATIONS"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-05-27 19:08:48","changed_gmt":"2026-05-27 19:09:25","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-05-29T14:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-05-29T16:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-05-29T16:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-05-29 18:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-05-29 20:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-05-29 20:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Ford ES\u0026T 3235 \u2013 The ocean room","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}