Publication
Anomalous Appearance of Fish in Tambisan and Clams in Lumut during December 2013-January 2014: An Atmosphere-Ocean Interaction-Based Analysis
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Abstract:
Two anomalous events occurred along the coast of north Borneo: (a) large numbers of small pelagic fish (“Tamban”) jumped onto the shore at Tambisan in Lahad Datu, Sabah, East Malaysia, on 24 December 2013; and (b) large numbers of live clams appeared at Lumut beach, Brunei Darussalam, on 3 January 2014. The paper attempts to explain the occurrence of these anomalous events by comparing plausible explanations based on atmosphere-oceanic interactions with wind, wave and surface ocean current patterns generated using MeteoInfo, an open-source GIS software. Reanalysed data were obtained from Live Access Servers (LAS), notably NOAA’s geophysical fluid dynamics lab using its WaveWatch3 and OceanWatch models. Although the study is not conclusive, it found some patterns that support the proposed hypotheses and provide plausible scientific explanations for the events. The fish incident at Tambisan therefore appears to be caused by ocean currents forcing pelagic shoals into a constricted channel, while the clams at Lumut were mobilised and deposited by waves-generated currents produced by atmospheric circulation a few days leading to the incident. Other factors, such as Internal Waves or Solitons, were also discussed. A major challenge encountered is presenting large number of the maps generated, in printed format, and in a way that does not reduce their readability.
Description:
Date:
2015
Authors:
Ndah, Anthony Banyouko
Yong, Gabriel Y.V.
Lalit Dagar Kumar
Publisher:
Jakraya Publications (P) Ltd
