Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Partial decoupling of primary productivity from upwelling in the California Current system

Nature Geoscience volume 9, pages 505–508 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Coastal winds and upwelling of deep nutrient-rich water along subtropical eastern boundaries yield some of the ocean’s most productive ecosystems1. Simple indices of coastal wind strength have been extensively used to estimate the timing and magnitude of biological productivity on seasonal and interannual timescales2 and underlie the prediction that anthropogenic climate warming will increase the productivity by making coastal winds stronger3,4,5,6. The effect of wind patterns on regional net primary productivity is not captured by such indices and is poorly understood. Here we present evidence, using a realistic model of the California Current system and satellite measurements, that the observed slackening of the winds near the coast has little effect on near-shore phytoplankton productivity despite a large reduction in upwelling velocity. On the regional scale the wind drop-off leads to substantially higher production even when the total upwelling rate remains the same. This partial decoupling of productivity from upwelling results from the impact of wind patterns on alongshore currents and the eddies they generate. Our results imply that productivity in eastern boundary upwelling systems will be better predicted from indices of the coastal wind that account for its offshore structure.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Impact of wind drop-off on total upwelling and NPP.
Figure 2: Wind drop-off control of the NPP by modulation of the eddy physical fluxes.
Figure 3: An upwelling index that considers wind structure, and perhaps eddy activity, would better predict interannual NPP variations.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Carr, M. E. & Kearns, E. J. Production regimes in four Eastern Boundary Current systems. Deep-Sea Res. II 50, 3199–3221 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bograd, S. J. et al. Phenology of coastal upwelling in the California Current. Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, 1602 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bakun, A. Global climate change and intensification of coastal ocean upwelling. Science 247, 198–201 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wang, D., Gouhier, T. C., Menge, B. A. & Ganguly, A. R. Intensification and spatial homogenization of coastal upwelling under climate change. Nature 518, 390–394 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Sydeman, W. J. et al. Climate change and wind intensification in coastal upwelling ecosystems. Science 345, 77–80 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bakun, A. et al. Anticipated effects of climate change on coastal upwelling ecosystems. Curr. Clim. Change Rep. 1, 85–93 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Renault, L., Hall, A. & McWilliams, J. C. Orographic shaping of US West Coast wind profiles during the upwelling season. Clim. Dynam. 46, 273–289 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Song, H., Miller, A. J., Cornuelle, B. D. & Di Lorenzo, E. Changes in upwelling and its water sources in the California Current System driven by different wind forcing. Dyn. Atmos. Oceans 52, 170–191 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Rykaczewski, R. R. & Checkley, D. M. Influence of ocean winds on the pelagic ecosystem in upwelling regions. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 105, 1965–1970 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Jacox, M. G., Moore, A. M., Edwards, C. A. & Fiechter, J. Spatially resolved upwelling in the California Current System and its connections to climate variability. Geophys. Res. Lett. 41, 3189–3196 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Capet, X. J., Marchesiello, P. & McWilliams, J. C. Upwelling response to coastal wind profiles. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31, 13 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Barth, J. A. et al. Delayed upwelling alters nearshore coastal ocean ecosystems in the northern California current. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 3719–3724 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Thomas, A. C. & Brickley, P. Satellite measurements of chlorophyll distribution during spring 2005 in the California Current. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L22S05 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gruber, N. et al. Eddy-induced reduction of biological production in eastern boundary upwelling systems. Nature Geosci. 4, 787–792 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Nagai, T. et al. Dominant role of eddies and filaments in the offshore transport of carbon and nutrients in the California Current System. J. Geophys. Res. 120, 5318–5341 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Renault, L. et al. Impact of atmospheric coastal jet off central Chile on sea surface temperature from satellite observations (2000–2007). J. Geophys. Res. 114, C08006 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Chavez, F. P. & Messié, M. A comparison of eastern boundary upwelling ecosystems. Prog. Oceanogr. 83, 80–96 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Colas, F., McWilliams, J. C., Capet, X. & Kurian, J. Heat balance and eddies in the Peru-Chile current system. Clim. Dynam. 39, 509–529 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. García-Reyes, M., Largier, J. L. & Sydeman, W. J. Synoptic-scale upwelling indices and predictions of phyto- and zooplankton populations. Prog. Oceanogr. 120, 177–188 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Renault, L. et al. Modulation of wind-work by oceanic current interaction with the atmosphere. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 46, 1685–1704 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Shchepetkin, A. F. & McWilliams, J. C. The regional oceanic modeling system (ROMS): a split-explicit, free-surface, topography-following-coordinate oceanic model. Ocean Model. 9, 347–404 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Becker, J. J. et al. Global bathymetry and elevation data at 30 arc seconds resolution: SRTM30_PLUS. Mar. Geod. 32, 355–371 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Mason, E. et al. Procedures for offline grid nesting in regional ocean models. Ocean Model. 35, 1–15 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Marchesiello, P., McWilliams, J. C. & Shchepetkin, A. Open boundary conditions for long-term integration of regional oceanic models. Ocean Model. 3, 1–20 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Lemarié, F. et al. Are there inescapable issues prohibiting the use of terrain-following coordinates in climate models? Ocean Model. 42, 57–79 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. da Silva, A. M., Young, C. C. & Levitus, S. Atlas of Surface Marine Data Vol. 4 (NOAA Atlas NESDIS 9, US Government Printing Office, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Conkright, M. E. et al. World Ocean Atlas 2001: Objective Analyses, Data Statistics, and Figures: CD-ROM Documentation (US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Oceanographic Data Center, Ocean Climate Laboratory, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Barnier, B., Siefridt, L. & Marchesiello, P. Thermal forcing for a global ocean circulation model using a three-year climatology of ECMWF analyses. J. Mar. Syst. 6, 363–380 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Molemaker, M. J., McWilliams, J. C. & Dewar, W. K. Submesoscale instability and generation of mesoscale anticyclones near a separation of the California Undercurrent. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 45, 613–629 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Moore, J. K., Doney, S. C. & Lindsay, K. Upper ocean ecosystem dynamics and iron cycling in a global three-dimensional model. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 18, GB4028 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Colas, F., Capet, X., McWilliams, J. C. & Li, Z. Mesoscale eddy buoyancy flux and eddy-induced circulation in Eastern Boundary Currents. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 43, 1073–1095 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Bentamy, A. & Fillon, D. Gridded surface wind fields from Metop/ASCAT measurements. Int. J. Remote Sensing 33, 1729–1754 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Hooker, S. B. & McClain, C. R. The calibration and validation of SeaWiFS data. Prog. Oceanogr. 45, 427–465 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ducet, N., Le Traon, P. Y. & Reverdin, G. Global high-resolution mapping of ocean circulation from TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1 and -2. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 19477–19498 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. McCreary, J. P. & Chao, S. Y. Three-dimensional shelf circulation along an eastern ocean boundary. J. Mar. Res. 43, 13–36 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Marchesiello, P., McWilliams, J. C. & Shchepetkin, A. Equilibrium structure and dynamics of the California Current System. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 33, 753–783 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We appreciate support from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-12-1-0939), National Science Foundation (OCE-1419450 and OCE-1419323), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and California Ocean Protection Council, as well as computing resources from the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment and on the Yellowstone cluster (ark:/85065/d7wd3xhc) provided by NCAR’s Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Avenue, California 90095-1565, USA

    Lionel Renault & James C. McWilliams

  2. University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Box 357940 Seattle, Washington 98195-7940, USA

    Curtis Deutsch & Hartmut Frenzel

  3. Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA

    Jun-Hong Liang

  4. Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA

    Jun-Hong Liang

  5. Institut de Recherche pour le développement (IRD), UMR LOCEAN, IRD/Sorbonne Universités (UPMC Univ Paris 06)/CNRS/MNHN, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris Cedex 75252, France

    François Colas

Authors
  1. Lionel Renault
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Curtis Deutsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James C. McWilliams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hartmut Frenzel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jun-Hong Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. François Colas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

L.R., J.C.M. and C.D. conceived and designed the experiments; L.R. performed the experiments; L.R., C.D., J.C.M., H.F. and F.C., analysed the data; L.R., H.F. and J.-H.L. contributed materials/analysis tools; L.R., C.D. and J.C.M. co-wrote the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lionel Renault.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Information (PDF 1382 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Renault, L., Deutsch, C., McWilliams, J. et al. Partial decoupling of primary productivity from upwelling in the California Current system. Nature Geosci 9, 505–508 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2722

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2722

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing