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Download The California Current - Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
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Transcript
The California Current and Coastal Upwelling Allison Parker Physical Oceanography November 20, 2007 The California Current • Cool water current • • running from the eastern coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California Characterized by coastal upwelling Part of the Central Pacific Gyre Source: US GLOBEC, Oregon State Univ. The Driving Force: The Westerlies • The Westerlies drive • • the California Current Ekman Pumping supports the important regional coastal upwelling Winds are strongest in spring and summer, yielding strong upwelling Source: NOAA Fisheries Service Source: Kathleen Wong Sea Surface Temperatures off the coast of California in July Source: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Coastal Upwelling Index • Developed in 1973 by Dr. Andy Bakun • Measure of the volume of water that upwells along the coast & identifies the amount of off shore transport of surface waters Upwelling Index Anomaly off the coast of Newport, California Anomalies of the Coastal Upwelling Index during May to September From 1947 to 2006 off Newport, California (45 N) Source: NOAA Fisheries Service Coastal Upwelling: Impacts on Fisheries • Upwelled water is typically high in nutrients and produces a 'bloom' in phytoplankton growth. • Large swarms of krill gather to feed on phytoplankton and attract fish, seabirds, and marine mammals who feed on the krill and or each other. Source: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Coastal Upwelling: Impacts on Fisheries Using satellite data, scientists can estimate how quickly microscopic plants are growing in the ocean. Red and yellow colors indicate regions of fastest growth, revealing the fertility of coastal waters. Tiny plants known as phytoplankton form the base of the food web, providing food for microscopic animals that in turn provide food for larger animals. Source: Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University The California Current Sea Lions in a reef off the coast of Monterey Bay, California Source: Kathleen Wong
