Discovering the Impact of Upwelling on Marine Life Spanning Surface to Deep Seafloor Through Analysis of Long-Term, Unique Datasets
Along California's Central Coast, wind carries more significance than just altering the weather. During spring and summer, offshore northwesterly winds induce a process called coastal upwelling, benefiting the bountiful marine life in Monterey Bay.
This seasonal phenomenon occurs when strong winds push top water layers out to sea, allowing cold, nutrient-rich water from deeper depths to replace it. Known as upwelling, this process bolsters the abundance of microscopic plankton, kickstarting the food chain within the bay.
Phytoplankton—tiny, plant-like organisms—feast on the nutrient-rich water, fueling swarms of krill and zooplankton. Higher trophic levels, including fish such as salmon and tunas, and even blue whales, thrive at the top of this intricate food web.
Scientists have long observed how the ocean responds to seasonal changes in wind and weather. However, the particular links between physics (wind strength) and biology (population counts of marine species) have often remained unclear.
Recently, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used data from a long-term monitoring website to fill these informational gaps regarding upwelling's impacts on the full ocean water column.
Monique Messié, a senior research specialist at the website and lead author of the study, explains, "Wind-driven upwelling off California fuels ocean productivity, but the connections between physics and biology aren't always apparent. Our study reveals these connections."
Coastal upwelling plays a crucial role in marine ecology as it boosts productivity in the ocean's surface waters, believed to extend throughout the water column, influencing life from the surface to the seafloor. However, this hypothesis has yet to be thoroughly verified due to the absence of extensive, long-term biological time series data.
Messié, representing the Data Integration and Interdisciplinary Oceanography Team at the website, sought to combine datasets from three research teams to better understand the relationships between the atmosphere and the ocean. The teams' efforts include monitoring plankton populations in the water's surface layers, surveying midwater life, and examining deep-sea floor communities.
The study combines these datasets to reveal patterns in how biological communities throughout the water column respond to atmospheric forcing, such as winds and upwelling. Researchers found that this responding phenomenon persists through surface, midwater, and seafloor habitats.
Messié notes, "It's fascinating to see one process having diverse effects on life in the ocean. Its expression varies significantly depending on the specific marine community."
The findings of the study suggest that coastal upwelling influences ecosystems from the surface to the deep seafloor. Researchers believe this occurs directly via changes in photosynthetic phytoplankton, the sinking of organic matter, animal feeding interactions, and indirectly through other oceanographic changes.
By taking into account various biological processes (such as animal interactions and lifespans), the study demonstrates how atmospheric forcing is transformed as it travels through the water column. Identifying the time over which the upwelling signal persists for specific species might provide insight into organism longevity.
Messié expressed, "Our three long-term time series at our website are rich with data, revealing intriguing findings that could help us estimate lifespans for marine animals. This information is crucial given how difficult it is to measure the lifespans of deep-sea organisms."
This research underscores the unexpected discoveries made by the website's researchers during their long-term monitoring efforts of California's Central Coast.
Repeated observations by the website have unveiled previously unknown behavior of deep-sea animals, emphasized the unexpected importance of drifters in deep-sea food webs, explored human-ocean connections, and explored the role of the deep sea in the global carbon cycle and climate change.
- The ocean reactivity to seasonal changes in wind and weather, specifically coastal upwelling in Monterey Bay, has long intrigued scientists in the field of oceanography.
- A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has tackled the link between physics (wind strength) and biology (population counts of marine species) regarding upwelling's impacts on the full ocean water column.
- Monique Messié, a senior research specialist at the monitoring website and lead author of the study, notes that upwelling off California fuels ocean productivity but the connections between physics and biology often remain unclear.
- The study combines datasets from three research teams to better understand the relationships between the atmosphere and the ocean, revealing patterns in how biological communities throughout the water column respond to atmospheric forcing.
- Identifying the time over which the upwelling signal persists for specific species might provide insight into organism longevity, opening doors for better understanding in biological oceanography.
- The research findings emphasize that coastal upwelling has wide-ranging impacts on marine ecosystems, from the surface to the deep seafloor, influencing life from the surface to the seafloor.
- This study, emanating from the long-term monitoring efforts of California's Central Coast, offers evidence of unexpected discoveries and knowledge expansion in areas such as marine ecology, climate-change, and environmental-science.
- By zooming out from a single focus on the surface, the study signals a broader exploration into the connectedness of marine ecosystems and the various processes that drive them, hinting at possibilities for advancements in technology, sustainable-living, education-and-self-development, and general-news.
