Steller Sea Lions

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Summary of Some Regional Ecosystem Impacts
Organized by Pacific Decadal Variability
GOA
Steller Sea Lions Zooplankton Phytoplankton
KOE
Sardines Zooplankton Phytoplankton
CCS
Sardines Zooplankton Phytoplankton
Adapted from Yasuda et al., 1999, Fish. Oceanogr.
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Canonical Pattern of Decadal SST Response
(Aleutian Low Strengthening)
Schematic
SST
Warming
SST Cooling
Driven by surface atmospheric forcing
Canonical Pattern of Decadal SST Response
Equator
Tropical SST Warming
From Miller, Chai, Chiba, Moisan and Neilson
(2004, J Oceanogr.)
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Lagged Pattern of Decadal SST Response
(Aleutian Low Strengthening)
Schematic
sCooling
SST Cooling
Driven by thermocline changes
via wind-stress curl
Lagged Pattern of Decadal SST Response
Equator
From Miller, Chai, Chiba, Moisan and Neilson
(2004, J Oceanogr.)
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Basin-Scale Pattern of Decadal Thermocline
Response (Aleutian Low
Strengtherning)
Schematic
Thermocline
Deepening
Thermocline Shallowing
Lagged response in west due to
Rossby wave propagation
Basin-Scale Pattern of Decadal Thermocline
Response
Equator
Tropical Thermocline Deepening
From Miller, Chai, Chiba, Moisan and Neilson
(2004, J Oceanogr.)
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Predicted changes in Ecosystem Domain
Areas from Climate Models of 2040-2060 (no
biology)
Highly productive
Productive
Weakly productive
Oligotrophic
Sarmiento et al., 2004
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Ocean Biological Feedbacks on Climate

• Great unknowns are the importance of
• Absorption of solar radiation by phytoplankton
• DMS aerosol production by phytoplankton

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VOCALS coupled ocean- atmosphere-
phytoplankton influence? Does it
affect the stratus deck off South America?
Linked to whole Walker Cell circulation?
Phytoplankton can produce aerosols
Stratus deck influenced by aerosols
Coastal upwelling drives biology
Coastal upwelling not resolved in big climate
models, so how would it affect the
ocean- atmosphere- ecosystem response?
SST and phyto patterns influenced by lateral
fluxes by eddies from coastal upwelling
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