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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L22S01, doi:10.1029/2006GL026911, 2006

Delayed coastal upwelling along the U.S. West Coast in 2005: A historical perspective

Franklin B. Schwing

Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, NOAA, Pacific Grove, California, USA


Nicholas A. Bond

Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA


Steven J. Bograd

Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, NOAA, Pacific Grove, California, USA


Todd Mitchell

Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA


Michael A. Alexander

Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, Colorado, USA


Nathan Mantua

Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA


Abstract

The timing of the onset of coastal upwelling in spring and its intensity over the upwelling season are critical factors in the productivity and structure of the California Current ecosystem (CCE). We use an index of coastal upwelling to characterize physical forcing over the latitudinal extent of the CCE, and compare the evolution of the upwelling season in 2005 with previous years. The onset of coastal upwelling in 2005 in the northern California Current was delayed by 2–3 months. Upwelling was stronger than normal in the latter part of the upwelling season, allowing the cumulative upwelling to reach the climatological mean by fall. Although physical conditions were unusual in 2005, they were not unprecedented in the historical record. However, the timing and strength of coastal upwelling is a critical ecological factor, particularly for species whose life histories are closely tuned to the annual cycle. The unusual physical and biological conditions observed in spring 2005 illustrate the sensitivity of the CCE to possible future climate extremes.

Received 15 May 2006; accepted 9 August 2006; published 7 October 2006.

Index Terms: 4227 Oceanography: General: Diurnal, seasonal, and annual cycles (0438); 4279 Oceanography: General: Upwelling and convergences (4964); 4215 Oceanography: General: Climate and interannual variability (1616, 1635, 3305, 3309, 4513); 4223 Oceanography: General: Descriptive and regional oceanography; 4572 Oceanography: Physical: Upper ocean and mixed layer processes.

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Citation: Schwing, F. B., N. A. Bond, S. J. Bograd, T. Mitchell, M. A. Alexander, and N. Mantua (2006), Delayed coastal upwelling along the U.S. West Coast in 2005: A historical perspective, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L22S01, doi:10.1029/2006GL026911.