3.2.3 Particle confluence in the Caribbean Sea
To quantify particle density within the CS, we strategically defined ten irregular polygons, hereafter called zones (Figure 8). We found that the spatial distribution of particle density over one year within these polygons is similar when using the HYCOM climatology or SOMs patterns (Table 1; Figure 8). We also found that the areas can be grouped according to the wind effect on particle clustering, dividing the Caribbean into three regions:
Table 1 shows a breakdown of the results by zone. We identified three main routes for particles to enter the CS: (i) along the edge of the continental shelf by the GC, (ii) through the NBC separation and intensification, and (iii) through the NERR and NEC dynamic interaction. Those same inflow areas were reported by Johns et al. (2014), Goni & Johns (2001), and Condie (1991). The resulting percentages suggest that less than 10% of the total particles moving from the Equatorial Atlantic to the CS reach the Caribbean coastal regions, even with 2% windage (Table 1). The results suggest that particles enter the Caribbean basin regardless of the windage; however, the density of particles increases or decreases in different regions according to the windage. We find that the effect of wind is crucial for particles to cross transport barriers to reach the coastal zone in the western Caribbean (zones 10, 3, and 2). Further discussion focusing on the Mexican Caribbean (zone 2) can be found in section 3.2.3.