Cross-shore Gradient Research Articles

Mesozooplankton community distribution on the Agulhas Bank in autumn: Size structure and production

The Agulhas Bank on the tip of southern Africa, like other shelf seas, is a relatively productive environment which plays a crucial role in the biology and success of many commercially valuable fish species. Fish and their larvae depend on zooplankton to feed on but, despite their importance, little is known about zooplankton distribution and production on the Agulhas Bank. Here we present results from a survey conducted in March 2019 on the East and Central Agulhas Bank, investigating mesozooplankton abundance, biovolume, taxonomic composition, size distribution (normalised biovolume size spectrum (NBSS) approach) and secondary production. A clear cross-shore gradient was observed with the inner-shelf having higher abundance and biovolume of mesozooplankton dominated by small-size organisms, most likely mirroring higher overall productivity of the coastal waters, while the outer-shelf showed the opposite trend (i.e., low abundance and biovolume; shallow NBSS slopes). This general pattern on the outer-shelf was, however, disturbed in one location (between 24 and 25°E) with a distinguishable mesozooplankton community, most likely linked to the passage of a meander on the inshore side of the Agulhas Current. The Central Agulhas Bank was typified by high mesozooplankton biomass (∼4 g C m-2), comparable to upwelling areas and dominated by copepods and doliolids. High copepod biomass was observed in this region before and was linked to a feature called the “Cold Ridge”. However, during our survey, no such ridge was observed. The mixed layer depth was relatively deep (>20 m) and high Chlorophyll a concentration was measured at depth, despite low net primary production rates. We suggest that this region is prone to other mechanisms such as retention due to cyclonic circulation or processes injecting nutrients in the upper mixed layer that require further research. Secondary production on the Agulhas Bank was in the same range as other shelf seas (0.03–1.55 g C m-2 d-1) and was correlated with mesozooplankton biomass. The comparison of primary and secondary production, measured simultaneously, suggested that mesozooplankton exert a significant control on net primary production, and can, in some areas, be food-limited (e.g., Central Agulhas Bank and inshore waters).

Lifecycle of a Submesoscale Front Birthed from a Nearshore Internal Bore

AbstractThe ocean is home to many different submesoscale phenomena, including internal waves, fronts, and gravity currents. Each of these processes entails complex nonlinear dynamics, even in isolation. Here we present shipboard, moored, and remote observations of a submesoscale gravity current front created by a shoaling internal tidal bore in the coastal ocean. The internal bore is observed to flatten as it shoals, leaving behind a gravity current front that propagates significantly slower than the bore. We posit that the generation and separation of the front from the bore is related to particular stratification ahead of the bore, which allows the bore to reach the maximum possible internal wave speed. After the front is calved from the bore, it is observed to propagate as a gravity current for approximately 4 h, with associated elevated turbulent dissipation rates. A strong cross-shore gradient of alongshore velocity creates enhanced vertical vorticity (Rossby number ≈ 40) that remains locked with the front. Lateral shear instabilities develop along the front and may hasten its demise.

Barred beach profile equilibrium investigated with a process-based numerical model

Investigating the equilibrium profile of a sandy beach is important to evaluate the beach response to natural forces. Empirical or semi-empirical relationships among beach states, wave climates and sediments properties have been established in various studies. In this study, detailed physical insights of hydrodynamics and sediment transport patterns on a quasi-equilibrium beach profile are provided using a process-based model. Model results show that during the beach profile transition to equilibrium, both the magnitude and the cross-shore gradient of sediment transport rate decrease. The total net sediment transport in surfzone is mainly affected by the balance/imbalance between offshore-directed current-related suspended sediment transport and onshore-directed bedload transport, both of which showing a decreasing tendency during the transition to equilibrium. The former is due to the decreasing undertow velocity and sediment concentration, and the latter is due to the decrease of peak bedload transport rate near the intra-wave crest phase. The wave-related suspended sediment transport is relatively small compared to the other two transport components. Based on the entropy concept, a dimensionless parameter representing the spatial uniformity of wave energy dissipation rate is proposed as an indicator of the equilibrium degree of a beach profile. Results suggest that a quantitative relationship can be established between this parameter and the overall characteristics of sediment transport on a beach profile.

Molecular Traits of Dissolved Organic Matter in the Subterranean Estuary of a High-Energy Beach: Indications of Sources and Sinks

Advective flows of seawater and fresh groundwater through coastal aquifers form a unique ecohydrological interface, the subterranean estuary (STE). Here, freshly produced marine organic matter and oxygen mix with groundwater, which is low in oxygen and contains aged organic carbon (OC) from terrestrial sources. Along the groundwater flow paths, dissolved organic matter (DOM) is degraded and inorganic electron acceptors are successively used up. Because of the different DOM sources and ages, exact degradation pathways are often difficult to disentangle, especially in high-energy environments with dynamic changes in beach morphology, source composition, and hydraulic gradients. From a case study site on a barrier island in the German North Sea, we present detailed biogeochemical data from freshwater lens groundwater, seawater, and beach porewater samples collected over different seasons. The samples were analyzed for physico-chemistry (e.g., salinity, temperature, dissolved silicate), (reduced) electron acceptors (e.g., oxygen, nitrate, and iron), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOM was isolated and molecularly characterized via soft-ionization ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry, and molecular formulae were identified in each sample. We found that the islands’ freshwater lens harbors a surprisingly high DOM molecular diversity and heterogeneity, possibly due to patchy distributions of buried peat lenses. Furthermore, a comparison of DOM composition of the endmembers indicated that the Spiekeroog high-energy beach STE conveys chemically modified, terrestrial DOM from the inland freshwater lens to the coastal ocean. In the beach intertidal zone, porewater DOC concentrations, lability of DOM and oxygen concentrations, decreased while dissolved (reduced) iron and dissolved silicate concentrations increased. This observation is consistent with the assumption of a continuous degradation of labile DOM along a cross-shore gradient, even in this dynamic environment. Accordingly, molecular properties of DOM indicated enhanced degradation, and “humic-like” fluorescent DOM fraction increased along the flow paths, likely through accumulation of compounds less susceptible to microbial consumption. Our data indicate that the high-energy beach STE is likely a net sink of OC from the terrestrial and marine realm, and that barrier islands such as Spiekeroog may act as efficient “digestors” of organic matter.

Unmixing water and mud: Characterizing diffuse boundaries of subtidal mud banks from individual satellite observations

Mapping of subtidal banks in mud-dominated coastal systems is crucial as they influence not only shoreline and ecosystem dynamics but also economic activities and livelihoods of local communities. Due to associated spatiotemporal variations in suspended particulate matter concentrations, subtidal mudbanks are often confined by diffuse and rapidly changing boundaries. To avoid inaccurate representations of these mudbanks in remote sensing images, it is necessary to unmix distinctive reflectance signals into representative landcover fractions. Yet, extracting mud fractions, in order to characterize such diffuse boundaries, is challenging because of the spectral similarity between subtidal- and intertidal features. Here we show that an unsupervised decision tree, used to derive spatially explicit and spectrally coherent image endmembers, facilitates robust linear spectral unmixing on an image-to-image basis, enabling the separation of these coastal features. We found that resulting abundance maps represent cross-shore gradients of vegetation, water and mud fractions present at the coast of Suriname. Furthermore, we confirmed that it is possible to separate land, water and an initial estimate of intertidal zones on individual images. Thus, spectral signatures of end-member candidates, determined from relevant index histograms within these initial estimates, are consistent. These results demonstrate that spectral information from well-defined spatial neighbourhoods facilitates the detection of diffuse boundaries of mudbanks with a spectral unmixing approach.

Interactive impacts of meteorological and hydrological conditions on the physical and biogeochemical structure of a coastal system

Abstract. The German Bight was exposed to record high riverine discharges in June 2013, as a result of flooding of the Elbe and Weser rivers. Several anomalous observations suggested that the hydrodynamical and biogeochemical states of the system were impacted by this event. In this study, we developed a biogeochemical model and coupled it with a previously introduced high-resolution hydrodynamical model of the southern North Sea in order to better characterize these impacts and gain insight into the underlying processes. Performance of the model was assessed using an extensive set of in situ measurements for the period 2011–2014. We first improved the realism of the hydrodynamic model with regard to the representation of cross-shore gradients, mainly through inclusion of flow-dependent horizontal mixing. Among other characteristic features of the system, the coupled model system can reproduce the low salinities, high nutrient concentrations and low oxygen concentrations in the bottom layers observed within the German Bight following the flood event. Through a scenario analysis, we examined the sensitivity of the patterns observed during July 2013 to the hydrological and meteorological forcing in isolation. Within the region of freshwater influence (ROFI) of the Elbe–Weser rivers, the flood event clearly dominated the changes in salinity and nutrient concentrations, as expected. However, our findings point to the relevance of the peculiarities in the meteorological conditions in 2013 as well: a combination of low wind speeds, warm air temperatures and cold bottom-water temperatures resulted in a strong thermal stratification in the outer regions and limited vertical nutrient transport to the surface layers. Within the central region, the thermal and haline dynamics interactively resulted in an intense density stratification. This intense stratification, in turn, led to enhanced primary production within the central region enriched by nutrients due to the flood but led to reduction within the nutrient-limited outer region, and it caused a widespread oxygen depletion in bottom waters. Our results further point to the enhancement of the current velocities at the surface as a result of haline stratification and to intensification of the thermohaline estuarine-like circulation in the Wadden Sea, both driven by the flood event.

Global distribution of nearshore slopes with implications for coastal retreat

Abstract. Nearshore slope, defined as the cross-shore gradient of the subaqueous profile, is an important input parameter which affects hydrodynamic and morphological coastal processes. It is used in both local and large-scale coastal investigations. However, due to unavailability of data, most studies, especially those that focus on continental or global scales, have historically adopted a uniform nearshore slope. This simplifying assumption could however have far-reaching implications for predictions/projections thus obtained. Here, we present the first global dataset of nearshore slopes with a resolution of 1 km at almost 620 000 points along the global coastline. To this end, coastal profiles were constructed using global topo-bathymetric datasets. The results show that the nearshore slopes vary substantially around the world. An assessment of coastline recession driven by sea level rise (SLR) (for an arbitrary 0.5 m SLR) with a globally uniform coastal slope of 1 : 100, as carried out in previous studies, and with the spatially variable coastal slopes computed herein shows that, on average, the former approach would underestimate coastline recession by about 40 %, albeit with significant spatial variation. The final dataset has been made publicly available at https://doi.org/10.4121/uuid:a8297dcd-c34e-4e6d-bf66-9fb8913d983d (Athanasiou, 2019).

Multi-day water residence time as a mechanism for physical and biological gradients across intertidal flats

Tidal flats with shallow-sloping bathymetry under meso-to macrotidal conditions allow organisms to occupy similar tidal elevations at different distances from subtidal channels. As water floods or ebbs across such tidal flats during a single tidal cycle, upstream organisms may modify water properties such as chlorophyll concentration, while physiochemical properties may change due to close association with sediments. Here we report evidence for an additional mechanism establishing cross-shore gradients: multi-day water residence times, in the sense that even if water completely drains into subtidal channels at low tide, a large fraction returns to the flats on the next high tide. We applied circulation modeling and empirical measurements of water properties and benthic secondary production to a 1-km-wide tidal flat in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. From the circulation model, water parcels on this intertidal flat have residence times up to 2 d, that is, water found on the flat at one high tide returns to the intertidal zone for a median of 4 successive semidiurnal high tides. Modeled residence times generally increased towards shore. Four empirical datasets showed cross-shore gradients consistent with modeled residence times: Salinity time series lagged towards shore; water column chlorophyll declined towards shore at fixed stations (near-bottom) and in surface transects more than could be explained by benthic suspension-feeding during a single transit of water; and oyster (Magallana = Crassostrea gigas) condition declined 25% over 0.5 km from channel to shore, independent of tidal elevation. One environmental measurement was more consistent with within-tide change, as water temperatures warmed towards shore on afternoon flood tides but showed no tidal-cycle lags. Taken together, these patterns suggest that multi-day water residence times can contribute to environmental heterogeneity from channel to shore on tidal flats, acting orthogonally to well-recognized estuarine gradients in residence time from ocean to river.

Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems response to different atmospheric forcing in a global eddy-permitting ocean model

Abstract Three-dimensional ocean dynamics (e.g. coastal upwelling, Ekman Pumping, meridional currents) in the Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS) is largely dictated by the strength of equatorward wind and its cross-shore gradients. Ocean dynamics, in turn, affects the coastal sea surface temperature (SST). Mis-representing the wind fields may therefore lead to inaccurate current structures and, thus, to significant SST biases. Analysis of two atmospheric reanalysis products, ERAInterim (ERAINT) and JRA55-do version 1.1 (JRA55), shows differences in the structure of the wind stress and wind stress curl (WSC) over the EBUS regions, when compared to the satellite records from QuikSCAT. Our study shows that ERAINT product is affected by too strong and wide wind-drop off in the cross-shore direction, whereas the wind field is more accurate in the JRA55 product, characterized by weak and narrow wind drop-off and strong coastal winds. To better understand the impact of different fine structures of the near-coast wind on upwelling dynamics, we performed long-term ocean hindcast simulations over the period 1985–2015 with a global eddy-permitting configuration of the NEMO ocean general circulation model. We find that (1) weak ERAINT coastal wind stress and strong WSC promote offshore Ekman pumping, weak coastal vertical velocity and meridional currents and transport dominated by upwind flows; (2) stronger JRA55 coastal wind stress associated with weak WSC generates weaker Ekman Pumping, localized intense coastal upwelling and strong downwind currents and transport; (3) SST discrepancies between experiments are mostly related to the different near-shore wind stress rather than incoming heat fluxes.

Effects of Wind Stress and Surface Cooling on Cross-Shore Exchange

AbstractThe formation of coastal dense shelf water in winter provides the available potential energy (APE) to fuel baroclinic instability. The combined effects of baroclinic instability and wind forcing in driving cross-shelf exchange are investigated using idealized numerical simulations with varied bottom slope, wind stress, and heat loss rate. The results show that under upwelling-favorable winds, the intensity of the instability decreases as the wind stress increases. This is caused primarily by enhanced turbulence frictional dissipation. Under downwelling-favorable winds, an increase in wind stress and/or a decrease in heat loss rate tends to constrain the baroclinic instability, leading to a circulation resembling that driven purely by wind forcing. In the latter case, once a critical value of cross-shore density gradient is reached, isopycnal slumping is initiated, leading to increased vertical stratification and narrowing of the inner shelf. The change in depth of the inner-shelf outer boundary, defined as the location corresponding to the maximum cross-shore gradient of the surface Ekman transport, is proportional to an empirically derived multiparametric quantity , where a2 is a dimensional constant, B0 is a constant heat loss rate, γ = 0.43, f is the Coriolis parameter, α is the shelf slope, B is the heat loss rate, and τ is the wind stress. This relationship is found to hold for cases when instabilities are present.

Relationship between SST gradients and upwelling off Peru and Chile: model/satellite data analysis

ABSTRACTThe upwelling system off Peru/Chile is characterized by significant mesoscale to submesoscale surface variability that results from the instability of the coastal currents (due to the strong vertical and horizontal shears) and to the marked density cross-shore gradients (associated with the mean upwelling). Here we investigate to what extent upwelling intensity can be inferred from sea surface temperature (SST) derived from remote sensing. As a first step in validation, a comparison between SST observations is performed, which indicates that the 1 km gridded multi-scale ultra-high-resolution (MUR) SST data set is defining a zone of maximum SST gradients closer to shore than the low-resolution National Centers for Environmental Information 0.25° resolution data set. Two model versions, at nominal resolutions of 2 km and 4 km, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model are analysed. A high-resolution version at 2 km is examined for the period 13 September 2011–23 January 2013, while a 4 km version is examined for 6 March 2011–22 April 2013. MUR shows maxima SST gradients in the range of 0.03 ± 0.02 K km−1 while the model showed higher gradients around 0.05 ± 0.02 K km−1. Based on coherence spectra, the relationship between upwelling rate (as inferred from the vertical velocity) and SST gradient is documented in the model from intraseasonal to annual timescales. It suggests that changes in SST gradient magnitudes are related to changes in the intensity of coastal upwelling off Peru and Chile. Such a relationship between SST gradients and vertical velocity would allow for the use of satellite-derived SSTs to monitor the intensity of coastal upwelling from the intraseasonal to annual timescales.

Suspended sediment transport around a large-scale laboratory breaker bar

This paper presents novel insights into suspended sediment concentrations and fluxes under a large-scale laboratory plunging wave. Measurements of sediment concentrations and velocities were taken at 12 locations around an evolving breaker bar, covering the complete breaking region from shoaling to inner surf zone, with particular high resolution near the bed using an Acoustic Concentration and Velocity Profiler. Wave breaking evidently affects sediment pick-up rates, which increase by an order of magnitude from shoaling to breaking zone. Time-averaged reference concentrations correlate poorly with periodic and time-averaged near-bed velocities, but correlate significantly with near-bed time-averaged turbulent kinetic energy. The net depth-integrated suspended transport is offshore-directed and primarily attributed to current-related fluxes (undertow) at outer-flow elevations (i.e. above the wave bottom boundary layer). The wave-related suspended transport is onshore-directed and is generally confined to the wave bottom boundary layer. Cross-shore gradients of sediment fluxes are quantified to explain spatial patterns of sediment pick-up and deposition and of cross-shore sediment advection. Suspended particles travel back and forth between the breaking and shoaling zones following the orbital motion, leading to local intra-wave concentration changes. At locations between the breaker bar crest and bar trough, intra-wave concentration changes are due to a combination of horizontal advection and of vertical exchange with the bedload layer: sediment is entrained in the bar trough during the wave trough phase, almost instantly advected offshore, and deposited near the bar crest during the wave crest phase. Finally, these results are used to suggest improvements for suspended sediment transport models.

The influence of a metal-enriched mining waste deposit on submarine groundwater discharge to the coastal sea

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was investigated at El Gorguel Bay (Cartagena-La Unión Pb–Zn mining district, Murcia, Spain), a Mediterranean region where mine tailings have been accumulated for decades at the shoreline. At this site, groundwater may become enriched in metals prior to discharge to the coastal sea and may lead to significant releases that can contaminate the coastal environment. The distribution of dissolved metals and Ra isotopes were studied in seawater and groundwater samples collected during the summer season in 2013. Cross-shore gradients of 224Ra in the bay allowed the calculation of a SGD flow of (39±14)103m3day−1. SGD-driven metal fluxes were 47–180molday−1km−1 for Zn, 0.20–0.60molday−1km−1 for Pb, 4–32molday−1km−1 for Fe, 0.8–2.3molday−1km−1 for Cu and 0.9–2.8molday−1km−1 for Ni. Compared to other coastal zones not affected by mining activities, SGD-driven metal fluxes were especially significant for dissolved Zn and Pb. The magnitude of these SGD-driven metal fluxes indicates that SGD is a relevant pathway in delivering metals to the coastal environment at El Gorguel Bay. This fact highlights the importance of investigating the role of SGD as a possible source of contamination to the sea in mining districts located in the proximity of the coast.

Climate change in the Iberian Upwelling System: a numerical study using GCM downscaling

The present work aims at evaluating the impacts of a climate change scenario on the hydrography and dynamics of the Iberian Upwelling System. Using regional ocean model configurations, the study domain is forced with three different sets of surface fields: a climatological dataset to provide the control run; a dataset obtained from averaging several global climate models (GCM) that integrate the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) models used in climate scenarios, for the same period as the climatological dataset; and this same dataset but for a future period, retrieved from the IPCC A2 climate scenario. After ascertaining that the ocean run forced with the GCM dataset for the present compared reasonably well with the climatologically forced run, the results for the future run (relative to the respective present run) show a general temperature increase (from +0.5 to +3 °C) and salinity decrease (from −0.1 to −0.3), particularly in the upper 100–200 m, although these differences depend strongly on season and distance to the coast. There is also strengthening of the SST cross-shore gradient associated to upwelling, which causes narrowing and shallowing of the upwelling jet. This effect is contrary to the meridional wind stress intensification that is also observed, which would tend to strengthen the upwelling jet.

Submarine groundwater discharge as a source of nutrients and trace metals in a Mediterranean bay (Palma Beach, Balearic Islands)

Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) from a detrital coastal aquifer into the adjacent marine environment was investigated in a Mediterranean bay (Palma Beach, Balearic Islands). In this region, agriculture and tourism are potential sources of groundwater contamination. A survey in the Palma Beach revealed N, Fe and chlorophyll a enhancement associated to areas of preferential groundwater discharge from the nearby coastal aquifer. Groundwater sampling from wells and coastal piezometers indicated high concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and Fe (up to 2800μmolL−1 and 8100nmolL−1, respectively). Other nutrients, such as DIP, and trace elements were not particularly elevated, which is attributed to the adsorptive characteristics of the carbonated composition of this detrital aquifer and/or the lack of major sources. Cross-shore gradients of 223,224,226Ra isotopes indicated a diffusive shore-based source of these radionuclides and allowed estimates of a SGD flow of 56,000±13,000m3d−1. Our results show that SGD is a major pathway for delivering DIN (1900mmolm−1d−1), dissolved Fe (4.1mmolm−1d−1) and, to a lesser extent, DIP (16mmolm−1d−1) into the nearshore waters. This allochthonous input may sustain a substantial phytoplankton biomass resulting in an onshore–offshore gradient (4.7–7.1mgm−3 in nearshore seawater as compared with <1mgm−3 in offshore stations). This work emphasizes the relevance of SGD-driven nutrient and trace metal inputs in the regulation of nearshore phytoplankton communities of oligotrophic areas.

Cross-shore gradients of physical disturbance in mangroves: implications for seedling establishment

Abstract. Mangroves may grow in an active sedimentary environment and are therefore closely linked to physical coastal processes. Seedlings colonize dynamic tidal flats, after which mangroves have the potential to change their physical environment by attenuating hydrodynamic energy and trapping sediments. Disturbance from hydrodynamic energy of waves or currents and the resulting sediment dynamics appear to be a critical bottleneck for seedling establishment on tidal flats and at the forest fringe. However, knowledge about the mechanisms at the single plant level and the spatial pattern of disturbance is limited. By means of a flume study, we demonstrate that a surface erosion threshold of as little as 1–3 cm depth can lead to failure of young seedlings. By monitoring accretion/erosion for 8 months along cross-shore transects in southwest Thailand, we show that, especially on the bare mudflat, the physical sediment disturbance regularly exceeds the critical erosion thresholds derived from the flume study. Physical sediment parameters along the same transects were analysed to deduct patterns of hydrodynamic energy attenuation. Grain size analysis and erosion/accretion data showed only limited energy dissipation within the fringing Avicennia/Sonneratia zone; sediment dynamics only dropped below lethal values for seedlings within the denser Rhizophora zone. Overall, present results emphasize that (i) seedling survival is extremely sensitive to physically driven sediment dynamics and (ii) that such physical disturbances are not only present on the tidal flats but can penetrate a significant distance into the forest. Spatio-temporal patterns in sediment dynamics should hence be considered when conducting restoration of mangrove ecosystems.

A study of cross-shore maximum upwelling intensity along the Northwest Africa coast

Satellite images of sea surface temperature (SST) show that the location of cross-shore SST minimum (LCSM) stretches along the isobaths in the Northwest Africa Upwelling System. To understand and interpret these observations better, we set up a two-dimensional analytical model that takes into account the surface and bottom Ekman transport and the alongshore geostrophic current, as well as bottom friction and variations in bottom topography. The structure of vertical velocity with a realistic topography clearly illustrates the variations of SST drop in a sample cross-shore section. Some idealized theoretical model experiments are carried out to examine the effects of eddy viscosity, Coriolis force, and cross-shore wind on the location of the cross-shore maximum upwelling intensity. The results show that the cross-shore wind largely impacts on the location where the coldest water outcrops to the surface through an adjustment of the cross-shore pressure gradient. This is also verified by the remotely sensed data, which indicate that the maximum correlation coefficient between cross-shore wind stress and the depth of LCSM is −0.65 with a lag of approximately 1 day.

Air-sea and oceanic heat flux contributions to the heat budget of the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf

We constructed annual cycles of National Centers for Environmental Prediction air-sea fluxes and temporal oceanic heat content change from Seward Line hydrographic surveys to quantify the different contributions to the oceanic heat budget within the Alaska Coastal Current (ACC) on the northern Gulf of Alaska shelf. The deficit between air-sea fluxes and the temporal change in oceanic heat content throughout the cooling season (October–April) varies from ~40 to 110Wm�2 and is balanced by ocean heat flux convergence. Cross-shelf heat flux convergence is insignificant on annual average, and the nearshore heat budget is likely entirely balanced by the ACC, which resupplies ~15%–50% of the heat removed by air-sea fluxes during the cooling season. Furthermore, we estimated spatial heat flux gradients and conclude that air-sea fluxes increase from east to west and from offshore to onshore. The cross-shore gradients are governed by wind speed gradients, likely due to ageostrophic nearshore wind events during the cooling season, while the along-shelf heat flux gradients are governed by the occurrence of low-pressure systems in the northern GOA that result in cold northerly winds over the northwestern GOA. These results underline the ACC’s role as the dominant oceanic heat source to the northern GOA shelf and further imply an increased cooling rate of the ACC west of the Seward Line. Furthermore, our analysis showed that nearshore regions, particularly waters in the ACC, are subjected to stronger winter cooling than the middle and outer shelves.

An analysis of SST gradients off the Peruvian Coast: The impact of going to higher resolution

The Peruvian Coastal Upwelling System (PCUS) is one of the most productive fisheries in the world. Upwelling events are associated with changes in the magnitude and location of frontal structures. SST gradients from four different data sets, NCDC, REMSS, OSTIA, and MUR are compared in two test areas off the PCUS: Païta (5°S) and Pisco (14°S). In both areas gradients derived from the MUR data set show greater magnitudes, as well as larger seasonal cycles. Off Pisco, the magnitude of the seasonal cycle of 2.2°C/100km in MUR is larger than the one derived from the lower resolution data sets. All data sets at Pisco exhibit a seasonal cycle that peaks in late Austral summer and early fall. Hovmöller diagrams calculated at 5.5°S, 10.5°S, and 14.5°S show clearly defined offshore maxima in the cross-shore gradients for all the data sets. Upwelling scales determined by the distance to the first maxima vary depending on the data set used. At 5.5°S upwelling scales vary from 10km for MUR to 50km for NCDC. At 14.5°S the scales vary from 20km for MUR to 40km for OSTIA. All four data sets show similar large-scale structures associated with the Peruvian upwelling. However, MUR shows finer scale structures that are most likely due to submesoscale to mesoscale eddies. Sub-sampled MUR 1km data at the 25km, 9km, and 4km resolutions compare well in magnitude and phase with the lower resolution products. Agreement in gradient magnitude between the lower resolution data sets and the MUR sub-sampled at their respective resolutions implies that the pixel-to-pixel analysis noise in MUR is at a similar level as the other data sets.

The coastal boundary layer: predictable current structure decreases alongshore transport and alters scales of dispersal

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 464:17-35 (2012) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09875 The coastal boundary layer: predictable current structure decreases alongshore transport and alters scales of dispersal K. J. Nickols1,4,*, B. Gaylord1,2, J. L. Largier1,3 1Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California at Davis, Bodega Bay, California 94923, USA 2Department of Evolution and Ecology, and 3Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA 4Present address: Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA *Email: kjnickols@ucdavis.edu ABSTRACT: Dispersion of planktonic propagules connects shoreline populations of many marine species, and considerable effort has been directed at understanding this process. However, gaps in knowledge persist. In particular, relatively little information is available regarding transport over the innermost portions of the continental shelf. We quantified velocity in nearshore waters at 5 sites along the California coast and investigated flow patterns relevant for dispersing larvae and algal spores. Mean depth-averaged alongshore velocities increased with distance from shore at all sites. This repeated and consistent ‘coastal boundary layer’ (CBL) pattern exhibits a logarithmic profile that resembles that associated with the ‘law of the wall’ of smaller-scale turbulent boundary layers, despite differences in spatial dimension and governing physics. A tentative scaling of dominant terms in an alongshore momentum balance suggests nontrivial levels of lateral stress, but small cross-shore gradients in this quantity. Such a trend of near-constant lateral stress, when combined with simple representations of horizontal mixing (i.e. eddy viscosity parameterizations) that increase approximately linearly with distance from shore, provides a possible explanation for the observed logarithmic velocity pattern. Incorporating these cross-shore gradients in alongshore velocity and cross-shore mixing in a 2-dimensional particle-tracking simulation leads to a decrease in mean alongshore transport of larvae and an increase in the variance in dispersal distance. Most notably, the CBL is predicted to dramatically increase self-replenishment. KEY WORDS: Coastal flow · Nearshore oceanography · Dispersal · Eddy diffusivity · Inner shelf · Larval transport · Self-recruitment · Self-replenishment · Open versus closed populations Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Nickols KJ, Gaylord B, Largier JL (2012) The coastal boundary layer: predictable current structure decreases alongshore transport and alters scales of dispersal. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 464:17-35. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09875 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 464. Online publication date: September 19, 2012 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2012 Inter-Research.