Global warming could up the productivity of California's and Oregon's fisheries, thanks to a poleward shift in ocean currents.
William Sydeman at the Farallon Institute for Advanced Ecosystem Research in Petaluma, California, and his group assessed the position of the North Pacific Current — which flows eastwards towards North America, then divides to flow north and south along the coast — from 2002 to 2007. They matched up data from the Argo array of floating ocean sensors with various ecosystem indicators, including the abundance of certain species of zooplankton (pictured).
The team found that biological productivity along coastal California rose when the current shifted north, a trend that is expected to increase as the climate warms. The results suggest that a more northerly current could increase the transport of nutrient-rich subarctic waters into the current that flows south towards California.
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An ecological boost from climate change. Nature 475, 8 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/475008a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/475008a
