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Decadal changes in Gulf of Alaska upwelling source waters
Author(s) -
Pozo Buil Mercedes,
Di Lorenzo Emanuele
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl063191
Subject(s) - ocean gyre , upwelling , oceanography , pacific decadal oscillation , geology , climatology , sea surface temperature , current (fluid) , ekman transport , predictability , marine ecosystem , ecosystem , environmental science , subtropics , ecology , physics , quantum mechanics , fishery , biology
Decadal changes in sea surface temperature (SST) in the Gulf of Alaska are linked to long‐term transitions in the marine ecosystem. While previous studies have identified the atmospheric variability of the Aleutian Low as an important driver of Ekman pumping and low‐frequency SST anomalies, the role of subsurface gyre‐scale dynamics remains unexplored. Using a set of reanalysis data sets from 1958 to the present, we find that subsurface temperature anomalies generated along the North Pacific Current significantly contribute through mean upwelling to decadal changes of SST in the Gulf of Alaska. This influence is comparable to the contribution associated with variations in atmospheric winds. Given the exceptional low‐frequency character of the propagation of subsurface anomalies (e.g., multidecadal) along the gyre, monitoring subsurface temperature anomalies up stream along the North Pacific Current may enhance the decadal predictability of SST in the Gulf of Alaska and its impact on local marine ecosystems.