A few years ago I was lucky enough to collaborate with prominent researcher in fluid mechanics, Roman Stocker. We developed a mathematical mechanistic model to predict if coral egg-sperm bundles released during coral spawning could possibly sink (ballast) after encounters with sediment grains, as a function of depth, suspended sediment concentration and grain size.

However the main issue with more complicated models is that you can’t really present all combinations of useful inputs that may be relevant for Marine Managers that need to risk assess project. To address this I created a shiny app which I hope will allow easier use of the model.

Using this link https://ricardo-gf.shinyapps.io/Bundle/ you can manipulate the input parameters, changing the size of the bundles to match your species of interest, grain size, or water quality conditions at your local sites.

We also created another equation for the subsequent reduction in egg-sperm encounters that could occur at the water’s surface, which can be found on the second tab.

Ricardo GF, Negri AP, Jones RJ, Stocker R (2016) That sinking feeling: Suspended sediments can prevent the ascent of coral egg bundles. Scientific Reports 6:21567