UCSB Marine Climate ObservationsUCSB Marine Climate ObsStormwater PlumesUpwelling Control of BloomsPlumes & Blooms ProgramPnB Sampling ProgramPowerPoint PresentationSlide 8Slide 9Regional Kelp Dynamics in the SB Channel (1984-2009)Slide 11West coast surface current mapping networkSlide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Thanx…UCSB Marine Climate UCSB Marine Climate Observations Observations Dave Siegel, Libe Washburn, Dan Reed, Carter Ohlmann, Melanie Fewings, Jenn Caselle, Mark Brzezinski University of California, Santa BarbaraUCSB Marine Climate Obs •Plumes & Blooms - bio-optics–Siegel PI - 1996 to present•Santa Barbara Coastal LTER - kelp forest–Reed PI - 2000 to present•PISCO - fish/invert recruitment–Caselle/Gaines/Warner - 1999 to present•PO Observatory - HF radar, shallow moorings•F3 - Modeling of connectivity in SoCal Bight–UCSB/UCLA collaborationStormwater Plumes February 15, 1998 - El Niño FloodsWiFS-LwN(555)Upwelling Control of BloomsPlumes & Blooms Program •Understand, predict & utilize changes in ocean color in the Santa Barbara Channel•Monthly day cruises (7 stations)•Field observations started in 1996 (future = ??)•Measurements–CTD/optics (LwN(), a(), b(), bbb(), PSD, etc.)–NUTs, Chl, HPLC pigments, DOC, DIC, pSi, etc. –Satellite acquisition & analysis–Shortly glider observations…Cross-channel SST(Station 1 off Campus Point)Station 4 Profile (channel center)PnB Sampling Programwww.icess.ucsb.edu/PnBThe SBC-LTER Conceptual FrameworkThe SBC-LTER Conceptual FrameworkFrom current SBC LTER proposal (sbc.lternet.edu)Climate change effects on giant kelp forestsLong-term measurementsPrimary production: • Giant kelp biomass, stoichometry, & net primary production monthly at 3 sites since 2002Community structure and foodweb dynamics• Abundance and diversity of algae, invertebrates and fish annually at 11 sites since 2001 & twice per season at 4 sites since 2009Environmental variables measured• Temperature, nutrients, salinity, bottom irradiance, swell ht. & period ranges from minutes to months since 2000 depending on variableNotable findings• Disturbance from waves overwhelms bottom-up and top-down forcing of net primary production by giant kelp• Increases in the frequency of intense wave disturbance simplifies kelp forest food webs by preferentially removing foundation speciesRegional Kelp Dynamics in the SB Channel (1984-2009)meanEl NinoEl NinoBiomass (kg)Landsat 5 assessment of giant kelp canopy biomass30 m spatial resolution Validated with SBC LTER biomass (R2 = 0.65)CV = 87%Regional Giant Kelp BiomassAQUE Occupancy % MOHK Occupancy %Enables kelp forest assessments on range of scalesLandsat 5 is still operating…West coast surface current mapping network - nearly continuous coverage along US west coast- hourly observations- 2-6 km spatial resolution- time series length to ~10 yr- coverage extends ~150 km offshore- most data available onlineBuoyant Poleward Flows- SCUBA surveys of all dominant organisms in kelp forests (fishes, inverts, algae & habitat)- Annually since 1999- Includes size structure and recruitment of fishes and select invertebrates- Inside and outside of MPAs PISCO Kelp Forest Monitoringwww.piscoweb.org- SMURFs (Standardized Monitoring Units for Recruitment of Fishes), brushes, tuffies and other artificial collectors: sample fishes, urchins, crabs, mussels- Biweekly sampling since 2000- April-November - Other sites in So Cal & Cen Cal have been sampled over the years by partnersPISCOPISCO Settlement and Recruitment monitoringwww.piscoweb.orgFlow, Fish & Fishing Biocomplexity•Examine interconnections among flow, fish stocks & fishing in the SoCal Bight - Siegel, Costello, Kendall, Gaines & Warner•Key: quantify nearshore connectivity•Off-line Lagrangian experimentation for 1996 to 2008•Collaboration with Dong & McWilliams [UCLA]From Watson et al. MEPS [2010]Flow, Fish & Fishing Biocomplexity•Enables spatial fishery/conservation modeling, analysis of roles of connectivity in community structure & pop genetics, etc. •Integral part of the MPLA’s MPA assessment for SoCal