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