Impact of the Blob on the Northeast Pacific Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems

IMPACT OF THE BLOB ON THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC OCEAN BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND ECOSYSTEMS

Samantha Siedlecki

Eric Bjorkstedt, Richard Feely, Adrienne Sutton, Jessica Cross, & Jan Newton September, 2014 THE IMPORTANCE OF TEMPERATURE TO CHEMISTRY AND BIOTA IN THE OCEAN

➤ Solubility of gases (like CO2 and oxygen) decreases with increasing temperature - warm water holds less gas ➤ Stratification of the water column changes with temperature, which alters the vertical exchange of nutrients, oxygen, and carbon throughout ➤ Temperature defines habitats, cues reproduction, and influences metabolism, life cycles, and behavior Now that we have looked at the physical

processes involved with the exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the ocean let’s turn

THE IMPORTANCEto theOF TEMPERATURE chemical TO processesCHEMISTRY IN THE OCEAN

Biological Processes Chemical & Physical Processes

IPCC 2007 Fig. 7.10

Chemical Processes Influencing Air-Sea

Exchange of CO2

1.! Physical Processes o! Air-sea gas exchange = f (wind speed, bubble injection, surfactants) o! Ocean circulation 2.! Chemical Processes

o! CO2 solubility = f (temperature, salinity) [“The Solubility Pump”] o! Carbonate chemical equilibrium 3.! Biological Processes [“The Biological Pump”] o! Photosynthesis & respiration o! Calcium carbonate production

1 AH24A-0048 TMO S D A P H A N E R I IC C Data Management and Preservation of Underway N A A D E M C I N O I

S L

N A

pCO Observations from VOS Ships I T O O

2 A N

U .S . CE Catherine E. Cosca, R.A. Feely, S.R. Alin D R E E P A M M RT O Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA; 7600 Sand Point Way N.E.; Seattle, Washington 98115; USA MEN T O F C

ABSTRACT DECADAL VARIATION OF SUSTAINED HIGH QUALITY pCO2 MEASUREMENTS As part of a multi-year effort to quantify the flux of CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, the Ocean Climate Observation Program of NOAA supports the deployment of underway CO2 systems on NOAA research ships and volunteer observing ships (VOS) in the A pattern of increased pCO2 distributions across the Pacific basin Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans. For the past decade (2004 - present), PMEL has maintained an underway pCO2 system on 6 has emerged from the sustained high quality pCO2 measurements different container ships crossing the Pacific Ocean from Long Beach to New Zealand. Our measurements of pCO2 along this transit PMEL has attained from container ships. Trans-Pacific pCO2 include 39 crossings, and capture data during various ENSO conditions. Data are quality controlled locally at PMEL, and globally via measurements from 2004 and 2014 during normal ENSO the SOCAT community, resulting in a high quality time series of sustained pCO2 measurements. Results indicate an increasing decadal conditions (3 month running SST anomaly within ± 0.5°C of the trend of higher pCO2 distributions across the basin, coupled with increased sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific. climatological mean in the Nino 3.4 region) are shown in Figure 3. The transects show a trend of increasing pCO2 values in the equatorial Pacific over the past decade. Figure 4 and Table 1 depict average values for each 10° of latitude along the trans-Pacific transit. The decadal difference in pCO2 DATA COLLECTION reaches ~ 36 µatm at the equator, and decreases in the southern The CO2 group of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) has been monitoring sea surface CO2 concentrations in the latitudes. Data collected in the northern hemisphere during 2014 equatorial Pacific since 1982. This is a particularly dynamic area exhibiting significant variation in surface CO2, both interannually due to captures the effect of the sustained temperature anomaly known as the effects of ENSO dynamics, and seasonally due to changes in wind strength and upwelling patterns. From February 2004 to the present, “the Blob” (Bond et al., 2015, Figure 5). PMEL has maintained an underway pCO2 system on 6 different container ships covering the transect from Long Beach California to New Zealand (Figure 1), allowing us to document the changes in surface pCO2 across the Pacific basin. When the anomalously high pCO2 values from the Blob are excluded, the mean decadal increase in pCO2 for the Long Beach A) B) to New Zealand track line is 26 µatm (15°N to 35°S), consistent AH24A-0048 pCO2 [µatm] TMO S with trends of pCO2 at stationary moorings in the equatorial D A P H A N E R Pacific (Sutton et al., 2014). In the region where the transect I IC C Data Management and Preservation of Underway N A travels through the Blob (15°N to 35°N), the decadal increase in A D E M pCO reaches values up to 49 µatm which constitutes a 47% C I 2 N O I

S enrichment in pCO2 due to the anomalously warm waters relative L T

to the decadal change. This enhanced carbon source may have N A

O T

strong implications for the oceanic carbon budget for the time I

pCO Observations from VOS Ships I T O O

frame it2 continues to exist, transitioning the region from a CO A 2 N sink to a CO2 source. U .S . CE Catherine E. Cosca, R.A. Feely, S.R. Alin D R E E PA M Figure 3. pCO2 measured from Long Beach to New Zealand transects in 2004 and 2014. R OM TM F C OPENIncreases OCEAN in pCO2 are RESPONSE: observed across the PCO entire2 PacificHIGHER basin during AT THE the past SURFACE decade. IN “THE BLOB”Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA; 7600 Sand Point Way N.E.; Seattle, Washington 98115; USA EN T O

C) ABSTRACT DECADAL VARIATION OF SUSTAINED HIGH QUALITY pCO2 MEASUREMENTS As part of a multi-year effort to quantify the flux of CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, the Ocean Climate Observation Program of NOAA supports the deployment of underway CO2 systems on NOAA research ships and volunteer observing ships (VOS) in the A pattern of increased pCO2 distributions across the Pacific basin Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans. For the past decade (2004 - present), PMEL has maintained an underway pCO2 system on 6 has emerged from the sustained high quality pCO2 measurements different container ships crossing the Pacific Ocean from Long Beach to New Zealand. Our measurements of pCO2 along this transit PMEL has attained from container ships. Trans-Pacific pCO2 Columbus Waikato Albert Rickmers Cap Van Diemen Natalie Schulte Cap Vilano Cap Blanche include 39 crossings, and capture data during various ENSO conditions. Data are quality controlled locally at PMEL, and globally via measurements from 2004 and 2014 during normal ENSO February 2004 - January 2006 September - October, 2007 September - October, 2008 September 2010 - June 2012 February - May, 2013 January 2014 - present the SOCAT community, resulting in a high quality time series of sustained pCO2 measurements. Results indicate an increasing decadal conditions (3 month running SST anomaly within ± 0.5°C of the trend of higher pCO2 distributions across the basin, coupled with increased sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific. climatological mean in the Nino 3.4 region) are shown in Figure 3. The transects show a trend of increasing pCO2 values in the Figure 1. A) PMEL Underway pCO2 system in the engine room of a container ship. B) 39 Trans-Pacific transects from Long equatorial Pacific over the past decade. Beach to New Zealand. C) VOS ships hosting PMEL underway pCO2 equipment. Figure 5. Sea surface temperature anomalies (°C) in NE Pacific Ocean for February 2014. From Bond et al., 2014. Figure 4 and Table 1 depict average values for each 10° of latitude along the trans-Pacific transit. The decadal difference in pCO2 DATA COLLECTION reaches ~ 36 µatm at the equator, and decreases in the southern The CO2 group of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) has been monitoring sea surface CO2 concentrations in the latitudes. Data collected in the northern hemisphere during 2014 equatorial Pacific since 1982. This is a particularly dynamic area exhibiting significant variation in surface CO2, both interannually due to captures the effect of the sustained temperature anomaly known as DATA QUALITY CONTROL AND PRESERVATION the effects of ENSO dynamics, and seasonally due to changes in wind strength and upwelling patterns. From February 2004 to the present, “the Blob” (Bond et al., 2015, Figure 5). PMEL has maintained an underway pCO2 system on 6 different container ships covering the transect from Long Beach California to New Zealand (Figure 1), allowing us to document the changes in surface pCO2 across the Pacific basin. When the anomalously high pCO2 values from the Blob are Underway pCO2 data are quality controlled following a excluded, the mean decadal increase in pCO2 for the Long Beach protocol developed by the CO2 community and described A) B) to New Zealand track line is 26 µatm (15°N to 35°S), consistent pCO2 [µatm] in Pierrot et al. (2006). The pCO2 data, along with with trends of pCO2 at stationary moorings in the equatorial ancillary measurements of temperature, salinity, and Pacific (Sutton et al., 2014). In the region where the transect barometric pressure, are subsequently submitted to travels through the Blob (15°N to 35°N), the decadal increase in pCO2 reaches values up to 49 µatm which constitutes a 47% the Surface Ocean Carbon Atlas (SOCAT) for enrichment in pCO2 due to the anomalously warm waters relative secondary quality control and long-term archival to the decadal change. This enhanced carbon source may have (Figure 2). The SOCAT community has developed strong implications for the oceanic carbon budget for the time standards for both data and metadata. Each data set frame it continues to exist, transitioning the region from a CO2 is compared to other data in the same region, and sink to a CO2 source. assigned a rating based on quality of the data and Figure 4. pCO2 from Long Beach to New Zealand transects in 2004 and 2014 with Figure 3. pCO2 measured from Long Beach to New Zealand transects in 2004 and 2014. thoroughness of the metadata. This community Increases in pCO2 are observed across the entire Pacific basin during the past decade. effort has resulted in consistent and accurate Coscasquares et al., indicating 2016 average pCO2 values for each 10° latitude band. The largest changes in measurements, reliable calibrations, and detailed pCO2 occur near the equator and in the north Pacific, the latter in part due to “the Blob”. Table 1. 10° averages of pCO2 and SST measured on trans-Pacific documentation from the field. The end product is transects in 2004 and 2014. high quality and well documented pCO2 data across C) the globe (Bakker et al., 2016).

PMEL data are posted to our website and archived at

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Columbus Waikato Albert Rickmers Cap Van Diemen Natalie Schulte Cap Vilano Cap Blanche REFERENCESSeptember 2010 - June 2012 Information (NCEI) and the Carbon Dioxide February 2004 - January 2006 September - October, 2007 September - October, 2008 February - May, 2013 January 2014 - present Information Analysis Center (CDIAC). An on-going Bakker, D.C.E., et al (2016): A 58-year record of high quality fCO2 data in version 3 Bond, N.A., M.F. Cronin, and H. Freeland (2015): The Blob: An extreme warm effort is underway to ensure consistent metadata Figure 1. A) PMEL Underway pCO2 system in the engine room of a container ship. B) 39 Trans-Pacific transects from Long of the Surface Ocean CO2 AtlasBeach (SOCAT). to New Zealand. Earth Syst. C) VOS Sci. ships Data. hosting [In preparation] PMEL underway pCO2 equipment.anomaly in the northeast Pacific. In State of the Climate in 2014, Global Oceans. Figure 5. Sea surface temperature anomalies (°C) in NE Pacific between national data centers and data products such Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 96(7), S62–S63. Ocean for February 2014. From Bond et al., 2014. as SOCAT. Figure 2. PMEL cruises of underway pCO2 data in the Surface Ocean Carbon Atlas (SOCAT). Transits from Long Beach to New Pierrot, D., C. Neill, K. Sullivan, R. Castle, R. Wanninkhof, H. Lüger, T. Johannessen, Sutton, A.J., R.A. Feely, C.L. Sabine, M.J. McPhaden, T. Takahashi, F.P. Chavez, www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/ Zealand are highlighted in the rectangular box. A. Olsen, R.A. Feely, and C.E. Cosca (2009): Recommendations for autonomous G.E. Friederich, and J.T. Mathis (2014): Natural variability and anthropogenic https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/oceanacidification/ underway pCO2 measuringDATA systems QUALITY and data-reduction CONTROL routines. Deep-Sea AND Res. PRESERVATION change in equatorial Pacific surface ocean pCO2 and pH. Global Biogeochem. cdiac.ornl.org II, 56(8–10), 512–522, doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.12.005. Cycles, 28(2), 131–145, doi: 10.1002/2013GB004679. Underway pCO2 data are quality controlled following a protocol developed by the CO2 community and described in Pierrot et al. (2006). The pCO2 data, along with ancillary measurements of temperature, salinity, and barometric pressure, are subsequently submitted to the Surface Ocean Carbon Atlas (SOCAT) for secondary quality control and long-term archival (Figure 2). The SOCAT community has developed standards for both data and metadata. Each data set is compared to other data in the same region, and assigned a rating based on quality of the data and thoroughness of the metadata. This community Figure 4. pCO2 from Long Beach to New Zealand transects in 2004 and 2014 with effort has resulted in consistent and accurate squares indicating average pCO2 values for each 10° latitude band. The largest changes in measurements, reliable calibrations, and detailed pCO2 occur near the equator and in the north Pacific, the latter in part due to “the Blob”. Table 1. 10° averages of pCO2 and SST measured on trans-Pacific documentation from the field. The end product is transects in 2004 and 2014. high quality and well documented pCO2 data across the globe (Bakker et al., 2016).

PMEL data are posted to our website and archived at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental REFERENCES Information (NCEI) and the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC). An on-going Bakker, D.C.E., et al (2016): A 58-year record of high quality fCO2 data in version 3 Bond, N.A., M.F. Cronin, and H. Freeland (2015): The Blob: An extreme warm effort is underway to ensure consistent metadata of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT). Earth Syst. Sci. Data. [In preparation] anomaly in the northeast Pacific. In State of the Climate in 2014, Global Oceans. between national data centers and data products such Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 96(7), S62–S63. as SOCAT. Figure 2. PMEL cruises of underway pCO2 data in the Surface Ocean Carbon Atlas (SOCAT). Transits from Long Beach to New Pierrot, D., C. Neill, K. Sullivan, R. Castle, R. Wanninkhof, H. Lüger, T. Johannessen, Sutton, A.J., R.A. Feely, C.L. Sabine, M.J. McPhaden, T. Takahashi, F.P. Chavez, www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/ Zealand are highlighted in the rectangular box. A. Olsen, R.A. Feely, and C.E. Cosca (2009): Recommendations for autonomous G.E. Friederich, and J.T. Mathis (2014): Natural variability and anthropogenic https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/oceanacidification/ underway pCO2 measuring systems and data-reduction routines. Deep-Sea Res. change in equatorial Pacific surface ocean pCO2 and pH. Global Biogeochem. cdiac.ornl.org II, 56(8–10), 512–522, doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.12.005. Cycles, 28(2), 131–145, doi: 10.1002/2013GB004679. COASTAL OCEAN RESPONSE: STRATIFICATION CHANGES ALTER UPWELLING

2014 SHIFT TO DOWNWELLING SUDDEN (ON SEPT. 25) STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT CALCOFI Line 80 CalCOFIEVIDENT Rep., Vol. AT 56,CHA’BA 2015 OFF LA PUSH, WA normalized temperature anomaly, Fig. 37 Figure 38 2014-2015

➤ Upwelling kept warm waters offshore in 2014, but 2015 experienced anomalously warm upwelling

Figure 38. Standardized temperature anomalies, these have no units (n.u.), along CalCOFI line 80 plotted against depth and distance from shore for peri- ods corresponding to the height of the 2014–15 warm anomaly (A: CC201501) and the 1998 El Niño (B: CC199802). Plotted data are deviations from expected values in terms of standard deviations in order to illustrate the strength of the relative changes at different depths.

C alCOFI domain during the winters of 1998 and 2015 (e.g., Line 80, fg. 38). The strongly positive relative temperature anomalies of 2015 extended to the far ofshore but were confned to the surface layer (upper ~50 m). Figure 37. Cruise averages of property anomalies for CalCOFI Line 90, stations In contrast, the relative anomalies of 1998 were stron- 30 to 90 for the time period 1950 to 2015. A) temperature anomaly at 10 m, B) temperature anomaly at 100 m, and C) density anomaly at 100 m. Data are gest at depth of 50 to 150 m and did not extend of- derived and plotted as described for Figure 11. shore (fg. 38). These patterns suggest that the coastal subsurface advective component that drives water column properties during El Niños was not active dur- entire CalCOFI domain (rho = 0.92, p < 0.001). These ing the SCWA. Increasing transport, temperature, and data show that the recent anomalies at a depth of 10 salinity of the California Undercurrent (CU) are impor- m were as large as those observed during the strong El tant drivers of changing water mass characteristics dur- Niños of 1957–58, 1982–83, and 1997–98 (fg. 37A). ing El Niños (Lynn and Bograd 2002). Such changes in Temperature anomalies at a depth of 100 m observed water mass characteristics are clearly evident in the core during the El Niños and the SCWA difer dramatically: of the CU (CalCOFI station 90.30, depth 200 to 300 m) whereas relative anomalies during the El Niños were during the strong El Niños of 1982–83 and 97–98; (e.g., stronger at 100 m compared to the surface layer, anoma- spiciness, fg. 39). Interestingly, strongly positive spici- lies at a depth of 100 m during the SCWA were slightly ness anomalies were only observed during the summer elevated only during the fall of 2014 and the winter of 2014 and not during any other time period corre- of 2015. Consistent with these diferences, dramati- sponding to the SCWA. cally diferent distributions of temperature with depth Properties at the σt 26.4 isopycnal (fg. S6), which and distance from shore were observed throughout the is found at a depth of about 200 m in the CalCOFI

63 Coastal Processes That Inﬂuence BOTH Oxygen and Carbon Dynamics

hp://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidiﬁcaon%3F 7 COASTAL OCEAN CARBON RESPONSE TO “THE BLOB”

600 The end of the 2014 season experienced 2006-2013 550 2014 lower values at the surface 2015 500

450

(µatm) 400 2 350 pCO 300

250

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100 Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Jan COASTAL OCEAN RESPONSE: STRATIFICATION CHANGES ALTER UPWELLING

600 The beginning of the 2015 season 2006-2013 550 2014 experienced lower values at the surface 2015 500

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100 Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Jan Depth (m) COASTAL OCEANRESPONSE:LESSCORROSIVECONDITIONSINGOA 2000 1500 1000 500 0 024 chemistry) (physical threshold Corrosive Ω

Cross et al, inprep Ocean Data View 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Seward lineobservations Figure 2:Geographic range shell for economically important 50°N 60°N ¯ 1 8 0 ° B B e er 0 r i i 1 n n 6 12 0 g g 5 ° K E S i Se lo 25 e m a 0 e a t e r s 50 0 170 ° 1 E 7 0 ° W 180 C C h ° hukch u k c Bri Bri h i i s s S to Se to 170 e l l a ° a 1 B B W 6 a 0 a ° y y W 1 6 0 ° W 1 5 0 B B Mathis etal,2014 ° W eaufor eauf 1 5 0 G G ° o W u ul r t l 1 t f f f 4 Se Se 0 o sh speciesfrom et Mathis o ° W f f a a Ala Ala s s k k a a 1 3 0 ° W T R G Sn Lit a az e n o o t lene n 1 o w d 4 e r uc 0 r C ° C W C k c r l a k a r 1 b a m 2 Cla 0 b ° W m 2014 2015 COASTAL OCEAN RESPONSE: MORE NORM-OXIC THAN PRIOR YEARS (a)

(b)

F M A M J J A S O N D

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8 2015 ) 1

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0 (d)

J F M A M J J A S O N D Time (months) Chan et al., 2016 Fig.COASTAL 5 OCEAN RESPONSE: LOW CHL IN 2014 AND LATE 2015

STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 56, 2015

Figure 5. Chlorophyll a anomalies from Aqua MODIS for: spring (March–May) of 2014 (left panel), spring (March–May) of 2015 (center), and July 2015 (right panel). Monthly anomalies were averaged onto a 0.1˚ x 0.1˚ grid and the climatology was based on the time period from 2002-15. The data were obtained from http://coastwatch.pfel.noaa.gov/. Leising et al., 2015

lies were considerably cooler, but still positive, by May ing the spring of 2015 corresponded with an extended 2015. While the SST anomalies throughout the CCS period of upwelling producing winds (– values). were extremely warm, the upwelling-favorable along- shore winds in the winter and spring of 2015 were Sea Surface Chlorophyll a unusually strong (fg. S5). In May 2015 these wind During spring 2015, sea surface chlorophyll a levels, anomalies were the strongest in the north around Wash- as measured by remote sensing, were higher than average ington and Oregon, but the winds lessened in central for most of the CCS, excluding the Southern California and southern California. The wind anomalies in the Bight (fg. 5), likely as a result of the favorable upwell- western and central equatorial Pacifc indicate strong ing during this period as compared to the previous year. winds blowing from the west to the east, which might By summer 2015, sea surface chlorophyll a levels were be an indication of westerly wind bursts that could anomalously low in most places, except for a few small strengthen the current El Niño conditions (Hu et al. patches along the central coast (centered near 38˚ and 2014). 42˚N; fg. 5), again refecting the patterns seen in upwelling across the region. Coastal Sea Surface Temperature Daily SST as measured by National Data Buoy Cen- REGIONAL ECOSYSTEM INDICATORS ter (NDBC) buoys showed unusually warm SST values from August 2014 to June 2015 for locations through- Northern California Current: out the CCS (fg. S5 and fg. 40). The highest deviations Oregon (Newport Hydrographic Line1) from the climatological cycle happened in the late sum- The winter of December 2013–March 2014 was quite mer and fall of 2014, with some days having tempera- mild with no large southwesterly storms, resulting in a tures more than 4˚C above the long-term mean. Starting lack of deep mixing. Bottom waters at midshelf (station in the spring of 2015 the SST values “cooled,” but they NH-5) were colder than normal (fg. 6; second cold- were still greater than the climatological mean with only est December since the start of the time series in 1997). a slight drop below for locations between Bodega Bay Beginning in spring of 2014, waters over the Oregon and Stonewall Bank. The meridional winds during the shelf were unusually warm and fresh, with temperatures warm SST period were not unusually weak in magni- comparable to those observed during the 1998 El Niño tude or overly downwelling producing (+ values). The coupled with salinities comparable to those observed in decrease in SST values seen in the central CCS dur- 2003 (fg. 6).

36 COASTAL OCEAN RESPONSE: TOXIC ALGAE

for more information: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/habs/california-ocean-protection-council-briefed-west-coast-hab-impacts/

West Coast HAB Bloom Impacts, 2015: Kudela and Trainer, unpublished North Pacific Marine Science Organization PICES Press Vol. 24, No. 1

remainder of the winter of 2015/16 runs true to form, the Aleutian low will be deeper than normal and displaced to the southeast of its usual location. This would result in continued cooling of the upper ocean west of roughly 140°W but maintenance, and perhaps even enhancement, of the positive SST anomalies along the coast from California to the Gulf of Alaska. While we may be witnessing the demise of the Blob, it does not appear that the Northeast Pacific is necessarily returning to a near- normal state.

Ecosystem impacts have not yet been fully documented. However, to date three types of responses are clear. First, Fig. 2 Temperature anomaly along Line P in August 2015 (with respect many unusual species were found: media reports to the 1956–1991 averages). Compare this to sections shown in PICES Press,2015, Vol. 23, No. 1 and Vol. 23, No. 2 to see the documented northward displacement of tropical and changes in mixed layer depths, from 100 m in 2014 and 2015, to subtropical reptile and fish species on the order of several approximately a more ‘normal’ thickness of 30 m by summer 2015. 1000 km into the Northeast Pacific. Moonfish (opah) and swordfish were caught off central Oregon (45°N), green 6 and olive ridley turtles were found off Washington and Oregon, and a yellow-bellied sea snake (Pelamis pelamis) 4 washed up on a beach near Los Angeles. Sunfish, pomfret 2 and pompano were caught commonly in the Gulf of Alaska. Analysis of W. Peterson’s 20+ year time series of 0 copepods in shelf and slope waters off Oregon revealed -2 that the Blob brought to the Northern California Current Temperature Anomaly C Anomaly Temperature (NCC) a total of 18 species of warm-water copepods, 11 of -4 12345678910 11 12 12345678910 11 12 1 which were new records for the NCC shelf/slope, and 2014 2015 seven additional species were known to occur only in Fig. 3 Sea surface temperature anomalies at NOAA Buoy 46050 waters far offshore of Oregon or during big El Niño events (averaging period 1991–2014), off Newport, Oregon, showing (1983, 1998). Many of these copepod species had North that apart from a strong upwelling event in June 2015, SST Pacific Gyre and/or North Pacific Transition Zone affinities anomalies remained approximately 2°C above climatology for one year (mid-October 2014 to early November 2015). By late indicating that the source of the warm Blob was from far November anomalies had declined to <1°C. offshore and from the south. Oregon shelf copepod species richness anomalies reached a peak in August 2015 (Fig. 4) TheCOASTAL decrease in the SSTOCEAN anomalies RESPONSE: in the southern Gulf of CHANGE but after that IN anomal COPEPODies declined and SPECIESby early November, Alaska and offshore of the Pacific Northwest from turned negative. The copepod species seen now are the November into December 2015 can be attributed to a same as those seen during any normal winter, with a regional atmospheric circulation pattern that produced dominance of subtropical neritic species that are surface wind anomalies from the northwest (not shown). transported to Oregon from coastal waters of central/ This pattern is atypical during El Niño winters. The North southern California waters by the Davidson Current which Pacific atmospheric response to El Niño is more robust runs northward from October to March in most years. near the beginning of the calendar year, and if the

Fig. 4 The anomaly of copepod species richness (i.e., the number of species in a sample) at a station 5 miles (8 km) off the coast of Oregon along the Newport Hydrographic Line. The averaging period is 1996–2014. The horizontal blue line indicates a + 5 species anomaly, one that is commonly seen during the positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño events. Note that the peak anomaly of >10 species was seen in May 2015 in association with the Blob. The November 2015 sample (– 2 species anomaly) contained the ‘normal’ number of species seen during winter.

47 Winter 2016

Peterson et al., 2016 Unprecedented Mass Mortality Event (~100,000 dead Cassin’s Auklets) Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Courtesy Julia Parrish/UW

8-31 beaches 2001-2015 7-36 beaches 2002-2015

7-46 beaches 2002-2015

5-22 beaches .025 2.5 2006-2015 .25 25

7-26 beaches 2007-2015

3-6 beaches 2014-2015

16-37 beaches 1994-2015 2014-15 mean COASST: Neah Bay WA to Mendocino, BeachWatch: Mendocino to San Francisco Bay. long-term average Data are Cassin’s Auklets carcasses/km, new finds only. Sample size is number of beach sites over the listed year range. Parrish et al, in prep for more information: http://www.nanoos.org/resources/anomalies_workshop/workshop2.php STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 56, 2015 FigCOASTAL 23 OCEAN RESPONSE: DECLINE IN PELAGIC FORAGE

FISH

STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 56, 2015 FigCOASTAL 23 OCEAN RESPONSE: DECLINE IN PELAGIC FORAGE

FISH

Figure 23. Density of eggs of sardine (blue), anchovy (green), and jack mackerel (red) collected with the continuous underway fsh egg sampler (CUFES) overlaid on satellite sea surface temperatures (˚C) derived from a monthly composite of April Pathfnder 5.5-km resolution Figure 23. Density of eggs of sardine (blue),(2000–08) anchovy or AVHRR 1.4(green), km resolution and(2009–15) jack imagery. Shipmackerel track is shown by(red) the black collected line. with the continuous underway fsh egg sampler (CUFES) overlaid on satellite sea surface temperatures (˚C) derived from a monthly composite of April Pathfnder 5.5-km resolution Leising et al., 2015 (2000–08) or AVHRR 1.4 km resolution (2009–15)52 imagery. Ship track is shown by the black line.

52 Biogeographic anomalies- warm water species found in Gulf of Alaska! CONCLUSIONS

➤ The Blob had major effects beyond temperature ➤ Open ocean response differed from the coastal ocean response ➤ Blob could have altered a region of the central Pacific from a sink to a source for carbon to the atmosphere ➤ Blob brought warm, high oxygen, low carbon water to the coastal regions of the CCS and GOA - possibly by changing the upwelling structure. ➤ Ecosystems shifted northward, HAB dominated massive phytoplankton bloom. ➤ Lasting impacts still being observed and determined

COASTAL OCEAN RESPONSE: INCREASE IN SQUID

STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 56, 2015 Fig 20

2.5 Juvenile rockfish 2.5 Market squid

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-2.5 -2.5

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 Figure 20. Long-term standardized anomalies of several of the most frequently encountered pelagic forage species from rockfsh recruitment survey in the core (central California) region (1990–2015) and the southern and northern California survey areas (2004–15, excluding 2012 for the northern area).

YOY rockfsh and other groundfsh were at very low marily Aurelia spp. and Chrysaora spp.) were unusually levels in both 2014 and 2015 (R. Brodeur, unpublished low in 2015 (fg. 21), catches of pelagic tunicates (pri- data), consistent with occasionally dramatic diferences marily Salpa spp., Thetys vagina and Pyrosoma spp.) were in catch rates of YOY rockfsh over broader spatial scales at extreme to record high levels. Finally, despite the high (Ralston and Stewart 2013). abundance (inferring high productivity and transport of In addition to the high catches of YOY rockfsh and subarctic water) of both YOY groundfsh and of pelagic other groundfsh, catches tended to be very high for a tunicates, the 2015 survey also encountered unusually suite of both less commonly encountered and less con- high numbers of warm water species (many of which sistently reported (over the course of the time series) had never previously been encountered), which are typ- species. Although catches of scyphozoan jellyfsh (pri- ically considered to be harbingers of strong El Niño

49 OA and Hypoxia West Coast Observing Network - Summary from West Coast OAH Science Panel The Paciﬁc Coast Collaborave and the State of California have requested a strategic framework for monitoring that will provide rigorous decision- support to policy-makers and managers at a west coast, regional scale.

A fully-realized OAH monitoring network will have the capability to:

• track changes in physical condions (e.g., salinity and temperature),

• water chemistry (e.g., oxygen, pH,

pCO2, aragonite and calcite saturaon states),

• and biological processes that can modulate changes in chemistry (e.g., producon and remineralizaon rates, species distribuons, predator- prey relaonships, biogeochemical responses). Chan et al., 2016