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Phytoplankton pigment patterns and wind forcing off central CaliforniaMesoscale variability in phytoplankton pigment distributions of central California during the spring-summer upwelling season are studied via a 4-yr time series of high-resolution coastal zone color scanner imagery. Empirical orthogonal functions are used to decompose the time series of spatial images into its dominant modes of variability. The coupling between wind forcing of the upper ocean and phytoplankton distribution on mesoscales is investigated. Wind forcing, in particular the curl of the wind stress, was found to play an important role in the distribution of phytoplankton pigment in the California Current. The spring transition varies in timing and intensity from year to year but appears to be a recurrent feature associated with the rapid onset of the upwelling-favorable winds. Although the underlying dynamics may be dominated by processes other than forcing by wind stress curl, it appears that curl may force the variability of the filaments and hence the pigment patterns.
Document ID
19910063759
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Abbott, Mark R.
(Oregon State Univ. Corvallis, OR, United States)
Barksdale, Brett
(Oregon State University Corvallis, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
August 15, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 96
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Oceanography
Accession Number
91A48382
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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