North Pacific Gyre Oscillation modulates seasonal timing and ecosystem functioning in the California Current upwelling system
| Type | Article | ||||||||
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| Date | 2012-01 | ||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||
| Author(s) | Chenillat Fanny1, Riviere Pascal1, Capet Xavier2, 4, Di Lorenzo E.3, Blanke Bruno2, 4 | ||||||||
| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Univ Bretagne Occidentale, Inst Univ Europeen Mer, Lab Sci Environm Marin, UMR 6539, F-29280 Plouzane, France. 2 : Univ Bretagne Occidentale, IFREMER, Lab Phys Oceans, UMR 6523, F-29238 Brest 3, France. 3 : Georgia Inst Technol, Sch Earth & Atmospher Sci, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA. |
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| Source | Geophysical Research Letters (0094-8276) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2012-01 , Vol. 39 , N. L01606 , P. 1-6 | ||||||||
| DOI | 10.1029/2011GL049966 | ||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 63 | ||||||||
| Abstract | On interannual and longer time scales, dynamical and biogeochemical fluctuations in the North Pacific are dominated by two modes of variability, namely the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO). In this study the regional expression of the NPGO in the California Current System (CCS) is detailed. The statistical relationship between the NPGO index and nearshore wind variability (mostly upwelling favorable) along the U. S. West coast is strongest in the wintertime (December to March) off Central California. Most importantly, NPGO fluctuations are associated with a seasonal shift of 1-2 months in the onset of the upwelling season. Regional numerical simulations show that an early (late) onset of upwelling during the positive (negative) phase of the NPGO leads to a more (less) productive planktonic ecosystem throughout spring and summer, i.e., several months after the direct NPGO effects on the system have ceased. These results bring new light on the California ecosystem variability as observed in atypical years such as 2005 and 2007. Citation: Chenillat, F., P. RiviSre, X. Capet, E. Di Lorenzo, and B. Blanke (2012), North Pacific Gyre Oscillation modulates seasonal timing and ecosystem functioning in the California Current upwelling system, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L01606, doi:10.1029/2011GL049966. | ||||||||
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