Synthesis of Pacific Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics

Variability and Trends of the Alaska Gyre From Argo and Satellite Altimetry

“…More than half of the meridional transport variance for the northeast Pacific projects on a statistical mode that is consistent with the PDO‐mode of SST variability for the North Pacific (Di Lorenzo et al, ; Mantua et al, ; Figure ). During a positive phase of the PDO, the zero‐transport streamline separating the subtropical from the Alaska Gyre is shifted to the south from its mean position, while more transport is diverted northward, associated with a stronger and expanded Alaska Gyre (Figures and ).…”

Shifting patterns in Pacific climate, West Coast salmon survival rates, and increased volatility in ecosystem services

“…Evidence for important NPGO effects on CCS marine ecosystems includes high correlations between the NPGO index and transport in the North Pacific current, Northeast Pacific salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrient concentrations, and West Coast plankton (8). Again, the coast-wide patterns of covarying coho and Chinook salmon survival rates are likely being coordinated by the NPGO pattern's large spatial scale that overlays directly onto the region of ocean entry and early marine life for these salmon populations.…”

“…One possibility is that NPGO variations more optimally synchronize coastal zone ocean temperatures and related ocean properties for these populations than the PDO does (8). Evidence for important NPGO effects on CCS marine ecosystems includes high correlations between the NPGO index and transport in the North Pacific current, Northeast Pacific salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrient concentrations, and West Coast plankton (8).…”

Influence of Basin‐ and Local‐Scale Environmental Conditions on Nearshore Production in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

“…Growth of California Current rockfish was related to the PDO at the basin scale and to SST, SSHa, and freshwater discharge at the local scale. In the California Current, cooler conditions NORTHEAST PACIFIC NEARSHORE PRODUCTION were previously linked to increases in pelagic production, including rockfish growth (Lenarz et al 1995;Black 2009), rockfish condition (Lenarz and Wyllie Echeverria 1986), salmon catch (Hare et al 1999), reproductive success of the common murre Uria aalge (Gladics et al 2015) and Cassin's auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus Wolf et al 2009), forage fish abundance (Sydeman et al 2013), zooplankton biomass and species composition (Peterson and Schwing 2003;Keister et al 2011;Di Lorenzo et al 2013), and chlorophyll-a concentrations (Harris et al 2009;Boyce et al 2010). These previous results are consistent with our findings.…”

“…Basin-scale conditions could influence nearshore systems through their linkages to offshore or terrestrial systems, as basin indices correlate well with offshore sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, and upwelling (Di Lorenzo et al 2008;Ainley and Hyrenbach 2010) and with terrestrial indicators such as freshwater discharge (Royer et al 2001;Papineau 2001;Neal et al 2002;Hickey et al 2010). The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) represent both decadal (e.g., PDO and NPGO) and interannual (e.g., ENSO) scales of climate variability in the northeast Pacific Ocean basin (Hollowed et al 2001) and are among the most consistent predictors of marine and terrestrial ecosystem production in the North Pacific Ocean and western United States, respectively (Neal et al 2002;Mundy 2005;Spies 2007;Black 2009;Menge et al 2009;Di Lorenzo et al 2013;Sydeman et al 2013). Interpretation of basin-scale relationships and their linkages to nearshore responses could be improved by a complementary analysis of organismal growth responses to local conditions.…”