Interannual correlations between sea surface temperature and concentration of chlorophyll pigment off Punta Eugenia, Baja California, during different remote forcing conditions

Abstract

Abstract. Interannual correlation between satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and surface chlorophyll a (Chl a) are examined in the coastal upwelling zone off Punta Eugenia on the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula, an area than has been identified as having intense biological productivity and oceanographic transition between midlatitude and tropical ocean conditions. We used empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) analysis separately and jointly on the two fields from 1997 through 2007, a time period dominated by different remote forcing: ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) conditions (weak, moderate and strong) and the largest intrusion of subarctic water reported in the last 50 years. Coastal upwelling index anomalies (CUI) and the multivariate ENSO index (MEI) were used to identify the influence of local (wind stress) and remote (ENSO) forcing over the interannual variability of both variables. The spatial pattern of the individual EOF1 analysis showed the greater variability of SST and Chl a offshore, their corresponding amplitude time series presented the highest peaks during the strong 1997–2000 El Niño–La Niña cycles and during the 2002–2004 period associated to the intrusion of subarctic water. The MEI is well correlated with the individual SST principal component (R ≈ 0.67, P < 0.05) and poorly with the individual Chl a principal component (R = −0.13). The joint EOF1 and the SST–Chl a correlation patterns show the area where both variables covary tightly; a band near the coast where the largest correlations occurred (| R | > 0.4) mainly regulated by ENSO cycles. This was spatially revealed when we calculated the homogeneous correlations for the 1997–1999 El Niño–La Niña period and during the 2002–2004 period, the intrusion of subarctic water period. Both, SST and Chl a showed higher coupling and two distinct physical–biological responses: on average ENSO influence was observed clearly along the coast mostly in SST, while the subarctic water influence, observed offshore and in Bahía Vizcaíno, mostly in Chl a. We found coastal chlorophyll blooms off Punta Eugenia during the 2002–2003 period, an enrichment pattern similar to that observed off the coast of Oregon. These chlorophyll blooms are likely linked to high wind stress anomalies during 2002, mainly at high latitudes. This observation may provide an explanation of why Punta Eugenia is one of the most important biological action centers on the Pacific coast.

On the importance of habitat continuity for delimiting biogeographic regions and shaping richness gradients

“…; Herrera‐Cervantes et al . ). Thus, as species approach their presumed thermal limits at biogeographic boundaries, they also encounter changes in coastal oceanography and large habitat gaps, which can result in sharp reductions in abundance and range limits (e.g.…”

Historical and recent processes shaping the geographic range of a rocky intertidal gastropod: phylogeography, ecology, and habitat availability

“…; Herrera‐Cervantes et al. ). Thus, while a seaway could have caused initial isolation, subsequent genetic homogenization of marine populations would potentially be inhibited by these oceanographic factors.…”

Effects of interannual events (1997–2012) on the hydrography and phytoplankton biomass of Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay

“…The time series of the variables measured at 10 m depth reveal the effects of the anomalous intrusion of subarctic water and of the ENSO events that impacted all the region off Baja California (Durazo and Baumgartner 2002;Durazo et al 2005;Gaxiola-Castro et al 2008, 2010aHerrera-Cervantes et al 2014). El Niño events seem to have a greater effect on surface conditions than La Niña events given that temperate to cold conditions generally prevail in the bay because of the influence of CC water and upwelling of subsurface water in the northern coastal zone.…”

“…In spring and summer, coastal upwelling and intrusions of subarctic and transformed equatorial waters occur off Punta Canoas (Mancilla-Peraza et al 1993), one of the most productive Lavaniegos et al 2002Lavaniegos et al , 2003. De 2002 a 2006, en la región frente a la costa occidental de la península de Baja California hubo un ingreso anómalo de un gran volumen de agua subártica que afectó el ecosistema epipelágico del SCC (Venrick et al 2003;Durazo et al 2005;Gaxiola-Castro et al 2008, 2010b) y ocasionó cambios en la biomasa y producción del fitoplancton (Herrera-Cervantes et al 2014, Espinosa-Carreón et al 2015) y en la abundancia del zooplancton (Lavaniegos 2014. Otros eventos interanuales que han tenido efectos menores en la región son los eventos de El Niño de intensidad moderada de 2002(Venrick et al 2003) y 2009(Bjorkstedt et al 2010) y La Niña de menor intensidad principalmente en los periodos 2007-2009(McClatchie et al 2009) y 2010-2011 (Bjorkstedt et al 2011).…”

“…Perfiles verticales del promedio de largo plazo de (b) temperatura (ºC), (c) salinidad, (d) oxígeno disuelto (mL L -1 ) y (e) clorofila a (mg m -3 ); la línea punteada indica el cambio de dirección del transecto a partír de la estación 120.30. La distancia (km) se refiere a la separación entre las estaciones 113.35 y 120.40. volume of subarctic water affected the epipelagic ecosystem of the CCS off the west coast of the peninsula (Venrick et al 2003;Durazo et al 2005;Gaxiola-Castro et al 2008, 2010b, causing changes in phytoplankton biomass and production (Herrera-Cervantes et al 2014, Espinosa-Carreón et al 2015 and in zooplankton abundance (Lavaniegos 2014. Other interannual events that have had a more minor impact are the moderately strong El Niño events of (Venrick et al 2003(Bjorkstedt et al 2010, and less intense La Niña events mainly during 2007-2009(McClatchie et al 2009 and 2010-2011 (Bjorkstedt et al 2011).…”