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Full-Text Articles in Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Circulation Patterns Within A Small Coastal Embayment During An Upwelling/Relaxation Cycle, Laurent F. Siroit Jun 2021

Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Circulation Patterns Within A Small Coastal Embayment During An Upwelling/Relaxation Cycle, Laurent F. Siroit

Physics

In eastern boundary current systems, wind-driven coastal upwelling is the dominant diver of physical, chemical, and biological variability. Near coastal embayments, complex circulation patterns develop during upwelling forcing, and time-dependent descriptions of these patterns for smaller systems (i.e., width and length scales ≤ 20 km) are limited. In this study, we analyze surface and subsurface current patterns in relation to upwelling wind forcing in San Luis Obispo (SLO) Bay, a small coastal upwelling embayment in central California, to investigate the formation and evolution of an upwelling jet and surface current convergence region during a large upwelling-relaxation event. We found that …


Rapid Warming Events In A Small Coastal Upwelling Embayment, Tatjana E. Ellis Jun 2021

Rapid Warming Events In A Small Coastal Upwelling Embayment, Tatjana E. Ellis

Physics

Temperature variability in the nearshore coastal ocean influences various biological processes and can drive changes in biodiversity and habitat range. Despite recent progress, there are still significant gaps in the understanding of drivers of temperature variability in upwelling bays, particularly at higher frequencies. In this study, we analyzed a decade of nearshore temperature measurements both inside and outside a small coastal embayment located in central California [San Luis Obispo (SLO) bay], as well as temperature data from satellites, to characterize rapid warming events. We found that rapid warming events, defined using rates of temperature change across different thresholds, occurred more …


Seasonal Controls On Nearshore Hypoxia In A Small Coastal Embayment, Stephen Alexander Huie Mar 2021

Seasonal Controls On Nearshore Hypoxia In A Small Coastal Embayment, Stephen Alexander Huie

Physics

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important biogeochemical factor that strongly influences nearshore coastal ecosystems. Low DO (hypoxic) events can cause physiological stressful environments for ecological and economically important species, potentially leading to mass mortalities. In order to better assess drivers of coastal hypoxia, we collected data from monthly cruises on the inner shelf and nearshore moorings inside and outside a small coastal embayment (San Luis Obispo Bay on the Central California Coast) across the full upwelling season (March to August). During the late spring and early summer, we found that the nearshore near-bottom temperature-DO (T-DO) relationship aligned with the shelf …