Krill Hotspots Shaped by Upwelling and Oceanic Circulation in the California Current System

Oct 13, 2022 (Last modified Oct 24, 2022)
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Dataset was scientifically peer reviewed
Description:
This dataset contains maps of modeled zooplankton (Zbig, in mmolC m^-3) parameterized to represent krill: mean yearly maximum Zbig (indicating krill hotspots) and mean modeled Zbig across the study period of 1993-2018.

In the California Current System, wind-driven nutrient supply and primary production, computed from satellite data, provide a synoptic view of how phytoplankton production is coupled to upwelling. In contrast, linking upwelling to zooplankton populations is difficult due to relatively scarce observations and the inherent patchiness of zooplankton. While phytoplankton respond quickly to environmental forcing, zooplankton grow slower and tend to aggregate into mesoscale “hotspot” regions spatially decoupled from upwelling centers. To better understand mechanisms controlling the formation of zooplankton hotspots, the authors used a satellite-based Lagrangian method where variables from a plankton model, forced by wind-driven nutrient supply, are advected by near-surface currents following upwelling events.

Modeled zooplankton distribution reproduces published accounts of euphausiid (krill) hotspots, including the location of major hotspots and their interannual variability. This satellite-based modeling tool is used to analyze the variability and drivers of krill hotspots in the California Current System, and to investigate how water masses of different origin and history converge to form predictable biological hotspots. The Lagrangian framework suggests that two conditions are necessary for a hotspot to form: a convergence of coastal water masses, and above average nutrient supply where these water masses originated from. The results highlight the role of upwelling, oceanic circulation, and plankton temporal dynamics in shaping krill mesoscale distribution, seasonal northward propagation, and interannual variability.
Data Provided By:
Monique Messié
Content date:
1993-2018
Citation:
Messié, M., D. A. Sancho-Gallegos, J. Fiechter, J. A. Santora, and F. P. Chavez. 2022. Satellite-Based Lagrangian Model Reveals How Upwelling and Oceanic Circulation Shape Krill Hotspots in the California Current System. Frontiers in Marine Science 9:835813. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.835813

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Spatial Resolution:
0.125 (Degree)
Contact Organization:
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
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Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
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Tags:
krill hotspots, california current. us west coast, ocean productivity, krill
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