Ohman, M. D., K. Barbeau, P. J. S. Franks, R. Goericke, M. D. Landry and A. J. Miller, 2013:
Ecological transitions in a coastal upwelling ecosystem
Oceanography, 26, 210-219.
Abstract.
The southern California Current Ecosystem (CCE) is a dynamic eastern boundary current ecosystem that is forced
by ocean-atmosphere variability on interannual, multidecadal, and long-term secular time scales. Recent
evidence suggests that apparent abrupt transitions in ecosystem conditions reflect linear tracking of the physical environment
rather than oscillations between alternative preferred states. A space-for-time exchange
is one approach that permits use of natural spatial variability in the CCE to
develop a mechanistic understanding needed to project future temporal changes. The role of (sub)mesoscale frontal
systems in altering rates of nutrient transport, primary and secondary production, export fluxes, and
the rates of encounters between predators and prey is an issue central to this pelagic ecosystem and its
future trajectory because the occurrence of such frontal features is increasing.
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