| > Oceanography > Issues > Archive > Volume 21, Number 4 |
2008, Oceanography 21(4):46–59, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2008.04
New Insights into the Controls and Mechanisms of
Plankton Productivity in Coastal Upwelling Waters of the
Northern California Current System
Authors | Abstract | Full Article | Citation
Authors
Raphael M. Kudela | Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Neil S. Banas | School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
John A. Barth | College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
Elizabeth R. Frame | School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
David A. Jay | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
John L. Largier | Bodega Marine Laboratory and Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Evelyn J. Lessard | School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Tawnya D. Peterson | Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR, USA
Andrea J. Vander Woude | Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, USA
Abstract
During the lifetime of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Ocean Processes program, four experiments were conducted on the US West Coast in the northern California Current System. Although each project had a unique scientific focus, all four addressed the mechanisms causing eastern boundary current systems in general, and the California Current System in particular, to be biologically rich, from phytoplankton to apex predators. Taken together, findings from these projects provide new insights into the canonical view that upwelling systems are simple wind-driven "conveyor belts," bringing cold, nutrient-rich waters to the well-lit surface ocean where biological organisms flourish. We highlight new insights and advances gained from these programs, including recognition that (a) elements other than nitrogen, particularly iron, may limit the base of the food chain, and (b) the source of these nutrients is not solely a result of wind-driven Ekman transport. The importance of retentive features has clearly emerged, whether these are associated with topography, bathymetry, or more transient features such as river plumes. These new insights into the drivers and fate of this high biological productivity should greatly improve current and future generations of ecosystem models and provide a better understanding of the unique physical-biological coupling that makes the California Current System so rich.
Full Article
Citation
Kudela, R.M., N.S. Banas, J.A. Barth, E.R. Frame, D.A. Jay, J.L. Largier, E.J. Lessard, T.D. Peterson, and A.J. Vander Woude. 2008. New insights into the controls and mechanisms of plankton productivity in coastal upwelling waters of the northern California Current System. Oceanography 21(4):46–59, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2008.04.