Status of the California Current System

Background

Highlights/Critical FactorsDecadal ForcingInterannual ForcingStatus: phytoplankton/zooplanktonfish/seabirds+mammalsImportant IssuesPacific Coastal Observing SystemTagging of Pacific Pelagics

Contributors: Bograd, Durazo, Hickey, Huyer, Hyrenbach,Lavaniegos, Mantyla, McKinnell, Perry, Peterson, Ralston, Reiss, Schwing, Stein, Sweetnam, Sydeman, Venrick

California Current System: Background

EnvironmentEnvironment1. Extends 3000 km, Vancouver Island to Baja2. California Current: meandering equatorward flow, carries cool/fresh/oxygenated/

nutrient-rich waters3. California Countercurrent/Davidson Current: weak poleward surface flow,

seasonally-modulated4. California Undercurrent: poleward flow at depth along continental slope5. Strong impacts from regime shifts, El Niño events6. Importance of North Pacific Current bifurcation

BiologyBiology1. High production from coastal upwelling2. Significant commercial nearshore invertebrate populations3. Important groundfish populations on shelf4. Migratory pelagic species: salmon, sardine, hake, herring (north);

anchovy, squid (south)

California Current System: Highlights and Critical Factors

Cool Regime vs. Warm El NiñoApparent regime shift from warm to cool CCS in 1999Strong El Niño in 1997-98; moderate El Niño in 2002-03,with warm SSTs and depressed plankton abundances off CA

Anomalous Subarctic Intrusion into CCS in 2002Subarctic waters detected from Vancouver Island toSouthern CaliforniaEnhanced primary production within nutrient-rich waters;hypoxic event on Oregon shelf

Continued strong upwelling in CCS (since 1999)Decline in California commercial landings, value of some invertebrates and groundfishNew regulations to rebuild overfished rockfish stocks

North Pacific Regime Shifts: State Changes in Forcing

SSTA

SLPA,WindA

“cool” “warm” “cool?”

Peterson and Schwing, 2003

North Pacific Regime Shifts: Take Home Messages

Pan-trophic biological response to regime shifts

Early recognition of shift through physical andbiological indicators leads to better management

BUT … not all regimes are alikeDifferent environmental statesSpatial heterogeneity

Must continue to MONITOR

The Subarctic Intrusion of 2002: Forcing

Southward Ekman transport into NPC;Strong flow in eastern NPC;Strong coastal upwelling;Strong equatorward flow in CCS

Jan-Feb 2002

June 2002

Oct-Nov 2002

SST anomalysurface wind stress anomaly

Murphree et al., 2003

The Subarctic Intrusion of 2002: Effects

Underway fluorescence voltageGLOBEC LTOP, July 2000 vs. July 2002 July 2002 T-S vs. 1961-71 mean

extreme water property anomalies (T, S, O2, NO3) extending 1500 km,enhanced productivity, respiration, benthic hypoxia

Huyer, 2003

CCS Status and Trends: Upwelling

Upwelling Index

downwelling,winter 2002-03

Anomalies

strong spring/summer upwelling (still!)

1998 1999 2000

CCS Status and Trends: PhytoplanktonSeaWiFS Chl-a Anomalies

2001 2002 2003

Foley

CCS Status and Trends: ZooplanktonVancouver Island Southern California, Baja

• high biomass in spring 2002(subarctic intrusion)

• low biomass in winter 2003(El Niño)

• changes in zooplankton composition related to climate shifts

• similar trends seen off Oregon• good indicators of climate!

McKinnell/Perry/Venrick

CCS Status and Trends: Fish, Northern CCS

1999 2000 2001Year

0

10

20

30

40

Biomass (tho

W. smeltP. sardineP. herringN. anchovy

SPECIES

• herring spawning increased in 2002 to nearlong-term average

• herring recruitment low when ocean is warm,summer biomass of migratory predators is high

• conditions favorable for herring survival in 2000-01

• good growth conditions for salmon offVancouver Island

British ColumbiaBritish Columbia

• catches of forage fishes have increased steadilyfrom low values in 1999

Washington, OregonWashington, Oregon Bio

mas

sMcKinnell

CCS Status and Trends: California Fisheries

Sweetnam

California fishing ports

Landed over 177,000 metric tons of fish, invertebrates in 2002(-12% from 2001, -28% from 2000)

Preliminary value of US $104 Million (+1% from 2001, -22% from 2000)

Top three grossing stocks: market squid, dungeness crab, sea urchin (followed by chinook salmon, swordfish, Pacific sardine, California spiny lobster, albacore, sablefish, spot prawn)

Higher demand for market squid, dungeness crab

Declines in landings of Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel,northern anchovyFederal, state regulations imposed to rebuild rockfish stocks

Recent Change in the CCS: Seabirds

Seabirds show responseof upper-trophic predators to ocean variability

Subarctic

Subtropical

cool-water species dominatein 1999-2001

high reproductive successfor all species since 1998(Farralons)

warm-water species returnin 2002-03 (El Niño)

Sydeman

California Current System: Issues

The nature of regime shiftsWhat are the mechanisms? Biotic responses?Interactions between decadal and interannual forcingSpatial heterogeneity in amplitude/timing of climate events

Interactions among environmental variability, recruitment fluctuations, fishing pressure

Over-harvest of low-mobility species (abalone, rockfishes)

Interactions between fisheries and marine mammals

HABs increasing in intensity, frequency, duration, location

Need a coordinated, holistic physical/ecosystem monitoringprogram for the CCS PaCOSPaCOS

Pacific Coastal Observing System (PaCOS)(formerly ACCEO – Alliance for California Current Ecosystem Observations)

“A plan for an observing system for the US EEZ of the Pacific Coastthat supports the fishery resources, protected species, andecosystem responsibilities of NOAA Fisheries.”

Chair: William Fox, Office of Science &Technology

Coordinators: John Hunter (SWFSC)and Elizabeth Clarke (NWFSC)

Pacific Coastal Observing System (PaCOS)

NOAA budget initiative for FY06

• monitor pelagic ecosystem• govt/academic alliance• applied, long-term science

goals• sustain physical/biological

time series• gradual expansion of

monitoring• understand dynamics of CCS

and its populations; interannual-decadal change

• NOAA Fisheries contributionto IOOS

Tagging Of Pacific Pelagics• Tag TOP Predators in the eastern North Pacific

2003- 2006 (~5000 individuals)• Develop tools for the integration of biological and

physical oceanographic data for furthering ocean exploration

• Discover the “Hot Spots” & “MigratoryHighways” of the Eastern North Pacific for large pelagics

TOPP Species• Air Breathing Vertebrates

– Leatherback Turtle– Loggerhead Turtle– Black footed Albatross– Laysan Albatross– Elephant Seals– California Sea Lions– Blue,Fin & Humpback

Whales– Sperm whale– Shearwaters

••Fish, Shark and SquidFish, Shark and Squid––Bluefin TunaBluefin Tuna––YellowfinYellowfin TunaTuna––Albacore TunaAlbacore Tuna––White shark White shark ––Mako Mako sharkshark––Salmon sharkSalmon shark––Thresher sharkThresher shark––Blue SharkBlue Shark––DosidicusDosidicus squidsquid––MolaMola––SwordfishSwordfish

TOPP Tagging June 2002 TOPP Tagging June 2002 -- SeptemberSeptember 20032003

Elephant Seals in the North Pacific

Vertical Structure from E-Seals

~60 dives/day~9000 APBTsdive to >500 m