Influence of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation on SST Fronts Along the West Coasts of North and South America

Along the west coasts of North, Central, and South America, sea surface temperature (SST) fronts are important for circulation dynamics and promoting biological activity. Prevailing equatorward winds during summer results in offshore Ekman transport and upwelling along the coast, where fronts often form between cold, upwelled water and warmer offshore waters. The interannual variability in winds, coastal upwelling, sea level anomalies, and SST in these regions have been linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), however SST fronts have received less attention. Here, we investigate the interannual variability of SST fronts off North, Central, and South America using satellite SST data spanning 1982-2018. Anomalies of fronts within 0-300 km offshore indicate interannual variability that coincides with ENSO events in most regions. Frontal activity generally decreases during El Niño events and increases during La Niña events. The decrease in fronts off Peru and Chile during El Niño coincides with the seasonal peak in frontal activity, while off the United States the decrease occurs when frontal activity is at a seasonal minimum. We also utilized satellite measurements of wind stress and sea level anomaly to investigate how ENSO oceanic and atmospheric forcing mechanisms affect frontal activity. Decreases in frontal activity during El Niño events are largely due to oceanic forcing (i.e., coastal Kelvin waves) off Central and South America and to both oceanic forcing and atmospheric teleconnections off the United States. This study furthers our understanding of the influence of ENSO on coastal upwelling regions in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

An Efficient Method for Nested High-Resolution Ocean Modelling Incorporating a Data Assimilation Technique

A simple and computationally efficient method is presented for creating a high-resolution regional (child) model nested within a coarse-resolution, good-quality data-assimilating (parent) model. The method, named Nesting with Downscaling and Data Assimilation (NDA), reduces bias and root mean square errors (RMSE) of the child model and does not allow the child model to drift from reality. Usually coarser resolution models, e.g., global scale, are used to provide boundary conditions for the nested child model. The basic idea of the NDA method is to use a complete 3D set of output data from the parent model using a process which is similar to data assimilation of observations into an ocean model. In this way, the child model is physically aware of observations via the parent model. The method allows for avoiding a complex process of assimilating the same observations which were already assimilated into the parent model. The NDA method is illustrated in several simple 2D synthetic cases where the true solution is known. The NDA method reduces the child model bias to the same level as in the parent model and reduces the RMSE, typically by a factor of two to five, occasionally more.

A novel approach to quantify metrics of upwelling intensity, frequency, and duration

The importance of coastal upwelling systems is widely recognized. However, several aspects of the current and future behaviors of these systems remain uncertain. Fluctuations in temperature because of anthropogenic climate change are hypothesized to affect upwelling-favorable winds and coastal upwelling is expected to intensify across all Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems. To better understand how upwelling may change in the future, it is necessary to develop a more rigorous method of quantifying this phenomenon. In this paper, we use SST data and wind data in a novel method of detecting upwelling signals and quantifying metrics of upwelling intensity, duration, and frequency at four sites within the Benguela Upwelling System. We found that indicators of upwelling are uniformly detected across five SST products for each of the four sites and that the duration of those signals is longer in SST products with higher spatial resolutions. Moreover, the high-resolution SST products are significantly more likely to display upwelling signals at 25 km away from the coast when signals were also detected at the coast. Our findings promote the viability of using SST and wind time series data to detect upwelling signals within coastal upwelling systems. We highlight the importance of high-resolution data products to improve the reliability of such estimates. This study represents an important step towards the development of an objective method for describing the behavior of coastal upwelling systems.

Year-round at-sea distribution and trophic resources partitioning between two sympatric Sulids in the tropical Atlantic

In the oligotrophic tropical marine environment resources are usually more patchily distributed and less abundant to top predators. Thus, spatial and trophic competition can emerge, especially between related seabird species belonging to the same ecological guild. Here we studied the foraging ecology of two sympatric species-brown booby (BRBO) Sula leucogaster (breeding) and red-footed boobies (RFBO) Sula sula (non-breeding)-at Raso islet (Cabo Verde), across different seasons. Sexual segregation was only observed during Jun-Oct, when RFBO were present, with larger females BRBO remaining closer to the colonies, while males and RFBO travelled further and exploited different habitats. Overall, species appeared to prefer areas with specific oceanic features, particularly those related with oceanic currents and responsible for enhancing primary productivity in tropical oceanic areas (e.g. Sea Surface Height and Ocean Mixed Layer Thickness). Female BRBOs showed high foraging-site fidelity during the period of sympatry, while exploiting the same prey species as the other birds. However, during the months of co-existence (Jun.-Oct.), isotopic mixing models suggested that female BRBO would consume a higher proportion of epipelagic fish, whereas female RFBO would consume more squid compared to the other birds, possibly due to habitat-specific prey availability and breeding energy-constraints for BRBO. We conclude that divergent parental roles, environmental conditions, habitat preference and competition could be mechanisms simultaneously underlying sexual segregation for BRBO during a period of co-existence, while inter-specific foraging differences appear to be more affected by habitat preference and different breeding stages. These results support previous statements that BRBO can adapt their foraging ecology to different circumstances of environmental conditions and competition, and that marine physical features play an important role in foraging decisions of boobies.

Observed Warm Filaments from the Kuroshio Associated with Mesoscale Eddies

Based on high resolution satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST), warm filaments near the Kuroshio around the Luzon Strait were systematically identified. These filaments extend an average length of about 200 km from the Kuroshio. The occurrence and features of the warm filaments are highly associated with both mesoscale eddies and the intensity of the SST gradient of the Kuroshio. Warm filaments are formed by heat advection from the warm Kuroshio into the colder interior Pacific Ocean by anticyclonic eddies (∼58%), cyclonic eddies (∼10%), and the dipole eddies (∼16%). The large temperature gradient near the Batanes Islands may also contribute to the high frequency of warm filaments in their vicinity. This study will help elucidate the role of zonal heat transport associated with the Kuroshio–eddy interaction during filament formation.

Multi-frequency and light-avoiding characteristics of deep acoustic layers in the North Atlantic

This study aimed to add light-avoidance as a categorizing technique for the study of mesopelagic acoustic layers. Data recorded along the 20° W parallel from 20° N to Iceland showed three types of mesopelagic layers: the non-avoiding non-migrant deep scattering layer (NMDSL), which dropped its intensity toward the north, the avoiding migrating fish layers (MDSL), which were more intense at upwelling areas and toward the north, and a secondary deeper NMDSL at the southern part. Light avoidance was only discernible at 18 kHz within the main NMDSL when this layer was intense, suggesting that migrants are barely seen at 38 kHz when other resonant scatterers occupy these depths. These results highlight the importance of employing the 18 kHz frequency from a vessel borne echosounder or lowered echosounders attached to a probe to study gas-bearing migrants.

Phylogeography of a Marine Insular Endemic in the Atlantic Macaronesia: The Azorean Barnacle, Megabalanus azoricus (Pilsbry, 1916)

The Azorean barnacle, Megabalanus azoricus (Pilsbry, 1916), is a Macaronesian endemic whose obscure taxonomy and the unknown relationships among forms inhabiting isolated Northern Atlantic oceanic islands is investigated by means of molecular analysis herein. Mitochondrial data from the 16S rRNA and COX1 genes support its current species status, tropical ancestry, and the taxonomic homogeneity throughout its distribution range. In contrast, at the intraspecific level and based on control region sequences, we detected an overall low level of genetic diversity and three divergent lineages. The haplogroups α and γ were sampled in the Azores, Madeira, Canary, and Cabo Verde archipelagos; whereas haplogroup β was absent from Cabo Verde. Consequently, population analysis suggested a differentiation of the Cabo Verde population with respect to the genetically homogenous northern archipelagos generated by current oceanographic barriers. Furthermore, haplogroup α, β, and γ demographic expansions occurred during the interglacial periods MIS5 (130 Kya - thousands years ago -), MIS3 (60 Kya), and MIS7 (240 Kya), respectively. The evolutionary origin of these lineages is related to its survival in the stable southern refugia and its demographic expansion dynamics are associated with the glacial-interglacial cycles. This phylogeographic pattern suggests the occurrence of genetic discontinuity informative to the delimitation of an informally defined biogeographic entity, Macaronesia, and its generation by processes that delineate genetic diversity of marine taxa in this area.