Reports - California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations

STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 47, 2006
Figure 16. Time series of temperature and salinity anomalies at 10 m and
200 m, estimated for the entire area off Baja California (upper two panels)
and for coastal waters (lower two panels). Anomalies were calculated removing
the seasonal means of the period 1997–2006. Open circles indicate
missing or non-analyzed cruises; the asterisk indicate data available only
from north Baja California.
and associated to the lowest 10 m salinities which indicate
water of the California Current. As indicated by
the 10 m (minimum) temperature and (coastal relative
maximum) salinity distributions, this water was separated
from the coast by two regions of coastal upwelling, one
running from Ensenada (32˚N) to Punta Baja (30˚N)
and another south of Punta Eugenia. Coastal upwelling
44
Figure 17. Time series anomalies of hydrological properties (temperature
and salinity) estimated in shallow water (shelf) stations along Baja California.
Anomalies were calculated removing the seasonal means of the period
1997–2006. Open circles indicate missing or unanalyzed cruises; the asterisk
indicate data available only from north Baja California.
was also associated with high chlorophyll-a concentration,
with the higher values at the northern locations.
Zooplankton volume (not shown) presented high values
along the coast. Westward of the California Current
jet, dynamic height anomalies indicated a meandering
current with weak offshore gradients.
Summer 2005 (fig. 19)
CalCOFI 0507 (1–17 July). The California Current,
close to the coast during the spring, was further offshore
in the summer and had spread into two branches farther
south. Strong poleward flow was observed close to the
coast. The Southern California Eddy (SCE) was strongly
expressed, centered on station 87.45. A lens of unusually
cold, saline- and nutrient-rich water extended from Point
Conception to station 87.45, suggesting upwelling in this
area. High concentrations of chlorophyll a were found
slightly to the west of this lens of cold and saline water,
supporting the upwelling interpretation. Unusually high
concentrations of chlorophyll a were also found close to
the coast; at stations 90.28 and 87.33 values were the highest
summer values on record for these stations. The large
extent in these regions of high chlorophyll a contributed
to the larger than normal chlorophyll-a concentration
cruise average. Floristic analyses will determine if these
areas are extensions of the unusually persistent dinoflagellate
blooms observed last year in the nearshore.
IMECOCAL 0507 (14 July–4 August). The California
Current flow, as depicted by the dynamic height
contours, appeared slightly displaced offshore during this