Coastal Upwelling and Harmful Algal Blooms in Southern California (September-October 2011)

Red Tide Surfing San Diego 2011 Bioluminescent Video

 

So. California Coastal Ocean Observing System, September 28, 2011
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 News source:

Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2011
LATimes_RedTide

 News source:

Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2011
Blue whales dine in treacherous waters off L.A.'s coast

Endangered blue whales, because they increasingly feed near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, are at risk of being hit and killed by the enormous ships heading to and from the complex.

LATimes_Whale_photo.jpg
A blue whale, estimated to be about 80 feet long, begins a dive for krill off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The endangered mammals have found rich feeding grounds near the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, but those waters can be dangerous because of heavy ship traffic. (Allen J. Schaben, Los Angeles Times / October 7, 2011)

   LATimes_Whale_Map.jpg

 News source:

About the Ocean Event

  • In late September 2011, local reports indicated the presence of intense algal blooms along the Southern California coastline.
  • This was followed in early October by an unusual congregation of blue whales feeding near Los Angeles, including shipping lanes where the whales could be at severe risk. The continued presence of these whales indicated a readily available and concentrated food source of krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans.
  • An examination of satellite data available through PO.DAAC provides information on the oceanographic conditions that existed then and how the conditions may have been conducive to intense algal blooms.

Satellite Imagery of Coastal Upwelling and Algal Blooms in Southern California on October 2, 2011.

 
NASA MODIS - Chlorophyll NASA MODIS - Sea Surface Temperature
Chl_02Oct2011_SoCal.JPG SST_02Oct2011_SoCal.JPG
Left - The yellow to red colors indicate high levels of chlorophyll (indication of phytoplankton biomass),  extending well offshore as well as in narrow bands next to the coastline. Right – Note the colder waters next to the coast and extending southward from central California along the Santa Barbara coast into Santa Monica Bay, indicative of coastal upwelling. High levels of chlorophyll often occur in areas of coastal upwelling, where cold waters come to the surface during periods when winds blowing southward parallel to coast (not shown) cause the coastal surface waters to move offshore. The colder waters contain nutrients, which combined with available sunlight, prompt phytoplankton growth.

 

Satellite Imagery of Chlorophyll and Surface Currents in Southern California on October 7, 2011.

 

MODIS Chlorophyll and Surface Currents

Chl_HF_07Oct2011_SoCal.JPG
The surface current vectors show velocity and direction obtained by coastal radar systems (http://www.sccoos.org/data/hfrnet/)

 

 

 

SCCOOS_HAB_Station_map.JPG

Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring From Regional Piers So. California Coastal Ocean Observing System

http://www.sccoos.org/data/habs/index.php

 

 

HAB_SCCOOS_20Oct2011_plot.PNG

  • The chart below shows the density of one algal species measured from 5 piers (see map). Note the increased density at the Santa Monica, Newport, and Scripps piers beginning in September and lasting through mid-October.
 
 
 
  • Harmful algae blooms are fast growing, dense populations of phytoplankton. The populations can be so dense that in the process of natural decay, oxygen may be depleted from the water which can then harm fish and marine invertebrates.
 
  • Some forms of phytoplankton produce toxins that are transferred through the food web where they affect marine animals.

  • Red tide is a common name for dense blooms of certain algal species that have red-brown pigments.

 

 

PO.DAAC Science Team