Breeding patterns of galapagos penguins as an indicator of oceanographic conditions

Surface water changes associated with El Ni?o have been known to affect deleteriously top carnivores along coastal South America. Data on the breeding strategies of Galápagos penguins and other seabirds indicate that the biological effects of El Ni?o extend much farther west. The breeding biology of these seabirds is adapted to frequent changes in productivity which are associated with El Ni?o.     

Central pacific seabirds and the el nino southern oscillation: 1982 to 1983 perspectives

The breeding chronology and reproductive attempts of the seabird community on Christmas Island in the central Pacific Ocean (2 degrees N, 157 degrees W) were interrupted by the 1982-1983 El Ni?o Southern Oscillation. The resultant reproductive failure and disappearance of the entire seabird community of this equatorial atoll represents the most dramatic interruption on record of a seabird community located distant from coastal upwelling. Our data indicate the effect that the abiotic and biotic aspects of a global atmospheric-oceanic anomaly have on marine birds. The 1982-1983 El Ni?o Southern Oscillation provides an example of selective pressures and a natural experiment in the study of vertebrate population dynamics.     

Zonal winds in the central equatorial pacific and el nino

Easterly trade winds from near-equatorial islands in the central Pacific weakened before each El Ni?o between 1950 and 1978, except for the 1963 El Ni?o. The weakening of the easterlies and their later collapse did not occur uniformly over several months, but rather through a series of strong westerly wind bursts lasting 1 to 3 weeks. The bursts may force equatorial Kelvin waves in the ocean that can both initiate and sustain the sea surface warming characteristics of El Ni?o events.     

The Pliocene paradox (mechanisms for a permanent El Niño)

During the early Pliocene, 5 to 3 million years ago, globally averaged temperatures were substantially higher than they are today, even though the external factors that determine climate were essentially the same. In the tropics, El Ni?o was continual (or "permanent") rather than intermittent. The appearance of northern continental glaciers, and of cold surface waters in oceanic upwelling zones in low latitudes (both coastal and equatorial), signaled the termination of those warm climate conditions and the end of permanent El Ni?o. This led to the amplification of obliquity (but not precession) cycles in equatorial sea surface temperatures and in global ice volume, with the former leading the latter by several thousand years. A possible explanation is that the gradual shoaling of the oceanic thermocline reached a threshold around 3 million years ago, when the winds started bringing cold waters to the surface in low latitudes. This introduced feedbacks involving ocean-atmosphere interactions that, along with ice-albedo feedbacks, amplified obliquity cycles. A future melting of glaciers, changes in the hydrological cycle, and a deepening of the thermocline could restore the warm conditions of the early Pliocene.     

Biological consequences of el nino

Observations of the 1982-1983 El Ni?o make it possible to relate the anomalous ocean conditions to specific biological responses. In October 1982 upwelling ecosystems in the eastern equatorial Pacific began a series of transitions from the normal highly productive condition to greatly reduced productivity. The highly productive condition had returned by July 1983. Nutrients, phytoplankton biomass, and primary productivity are clearly regulated by the physical changes of El Ni?o. Evidence from 1982 and 1983 also suggests effects on higher organisms such as fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, but several more years of observation are required to accurately determine the magnitude of the consequences on these higher trophic levels.     

Biospheric primary production during an ENSO transition

The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) provides global monthly measurements of both oceanic phytoplankton chlorophyll biomass and light harvesting by land plants. These measurements allowed the comparison of simultaneous ocean and land net primary production (NPP) responses to a major El Ni?o to La Ni?a transition. Between September 1997 and August 2000, biospheric NPP varied by 6 petagrams of carbon per year (from 111 to 117 petagrams of carbon per year). Increases in ocean NPP were pronounced in tropical regions where El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts on upwelling and nutrient availability were greatest. Globally, land NPP did not exhibit a clear ENSO response, although regional changes were substantial.     

Satellite color observations of the phytoplankton distribution in the eastern equatorial pacific during the 1982-1983. El nino

Dramatic changes in the patterns of satellite-derived pigment concentrations around the Galápagos Islands during February and March 1983 are associated with unusual oceanographic conditions observed during the 1982-1983 El Ni?o. The redistribution of food resources might have contributed to the reproductive failure of seabirds and marine mammals on these islands during this El Ni?o.     

Atmospheric carbon dioxide, the southern oscillation, and the weak 1975 el nino

The observed rate of change of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at the South Pole, Fanning Island, Hawaii, and ocean weather station P correlates with an index of the southern oscillation and with El Ni?o occurrences. There are changes at all four stations that seem to be in response to the weak 1975 El Ni?o. Thus, even poorly developed El Ni?o events may affect the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.     

On the prediction of the el nino of 1986-1987

Three different classes of numerical models successfully predicted the occurrence of the El Ni?o of 1986-87 at lead times of 3 to 9 months. Although the magnitude and timing of predicted ocean surface temperatures were not perfect, these results suggest that routine prediction of moderate to lare El Ni?o events is feasible. The key to the success of the models lies in recognizing or simulating the low-frequency, large-scale changes in the tropical ocean-atmosphere system that give rise to El Ni?o events.     

Biological consequences of the 1975 el nino

The weak El Ni?o event of 1975 had a clearly defined effect on the biological productivity of the southeastern tropical Pacific. During February and March 1975, warm (27 degrees C) water of low salinity (33.5 parts per thousand) and low nutrient content extended south across the equator east of the Galápagos Islands, replacing the nutrient-rich water normally supplied by equatorial upwelling. Equatorial primary production was less than 0.2 gram of carbon per square meter per day, one-fifth of the normal value. At the maximum development of the 1975 event, the coastal region of Peru continued to have strong nearshore upwelling with primary production values greater than 2.5 grams of carbon per square meter per day, although the zone of high production was confined to a 250-kilometer-wide band, one-half its normal width. The biological effects of the 1975 event were short-lived; in April and May 1975 the equatorial region had begun to reestablish its normal levels of primary production.     

A theory for el nino and the southern oscillation

A coupled atmosphere-ocean model is presented for El Ni?o and the Southern Oscillation that reproduces its major features, including its recurrence at irregular intervals. The interannual El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation cycle is maintained by deterministic interactions in the tropical Pacific region. Ocean dynamics alter sea-surface temperature, changing the atmospheric heating; the resulting changes in surface wind alter the ocean dynamics. Annually varying mean conditions largely determine the spatial pattern and temporal evolution of El Ni?o events.     

Oceanographic events during el nino

El Ni?o events, the most spectacular instances of interannual variability in the ocean, have profound consequences for climate and the ocean ecosystem. The 1982-1983 El Ni?o is perhaps the strongest in this century. El Ni?o events usually have followed a predictable pattern, but the recent event differs markedly. The physical oceanography of this El Ni?o is described and compared with that of earlier events.     

Recent variability in the southern oscillation: isotopic results from a tarawa atoll coral

In the western tropical Pacific, the interannual migration of the Indonesian Low convective system causes changes in rainfall that dominate the regional signature of the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system. A 96-year oxygen isotope record from a Tarawa Atoll coral (1 degrees N, 172 degrees E) reflects regional convective activity through rainfall-induced salinity changes. This monthly resolution record spans twice the length of the local climatological record and provides a history of ENSO variability comparable in quality with those derived from instrumental climate data. Comparison of this coral record with a historical chronology of EI Ni?o events indicates that climate anomalies in coastal South America are occasionally decoupled from Pacific-wide ENSO extremes. Spectral analysis suggests that the distribution of variance in this record has shifted among annual to interannual periods during the present century, concurrent with observed changes in the strength of the Southern Oscillation.     

2005—2016年中国东海鲐鱼渔场的时空分布及与海表面温度的关联

根据2005—2016年7—9月中国远洋渔业数据中心提供的我国东海鲐鱼捕捞数据,结合关键因子海表面温度(sea surface temperature, SST),计算各年鲐鱼渔场经纬度重心,量化鲐鱼渔场重心的时空变化。进一步分析捕捞努力量在经度、纬度以及SST上的分布规律,并基于聚类法筛选出代表年份,评估异常气候事件对鲐鱼渔场内SST及渔场重心时空分布的影响。研究结果显示,鲐鱼渔场重心具有明显的年际和月间变化,7—9月渔场逐渐向东北方向移动,且主要分布渔场SST为25～28℃。聚类分析将各月份渔场重心分为4类,其中2007和2015年渔场分布具有显著差异。此外,鲐鱼渔场内SST与尼诺指数具有显著的正相关关系,且代表年份2007和2015年分别对应拉尼娜事件和厄尔尼诺事件,当拉尼娜事件发生时,渔场内SST上升,渔场重心逐渐北移;而厄尔尼诺事件发生时,渔场内SST下降,渔场重心主要分布在南部海域。研究表明,中国东海鲐鱼渔场时空分布受到厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜调控的海表面温度变化的显著影响。     

Reduced interannual rainfall variability in East Africa during the last ice age

Interannual rainfall variations in equatorial East Africa are tightly linked to the El Ni?o Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with more rain and flooding during El Ni?o and droughts in La Ni?a years, both having severe impacts on human habitation and food security. Here we report evidence from an annually laminated lake sediment record from southeastern Kenya for interannual to centennial-scale changes in ENSO-related rainfall variability during the last three millennia and for reductions in both the mean rate and the variability of rainfall in East Africa during the Last Glacial period. Climate model simulations support forward extrapolation from these lake sediment data that future warming will intensify the interannual variability of East Africa's rainfall.     

Cool La Niña during the warmth of the Pliocene?

The role of El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in greenhouse warming and climate change remains controversial. During the warmth of the early-mid Pliocene, we find evidence for enhanced thermocline tilt and cold upwelling in the equatorial Pacific, consistent with the prevalence of a La Ni?a-like state, rather than the proposed persistent warm El Ni?o-like conditions. Our Pliocene paleothermometer supports the idea of a dynamic "ocean thermostat" in which heating of the tropical Pacific leads to a cooling of the east equatorial Pacific and a La Ni?a-like state, analogous to observations of a transient increasing east-west sea surface temperature gradient in the 20th-century tropical Pacific.     

Climatic anomalies in the tropical pacific ocean and corn yields in the United States

The association between climatic anomalies in the tropical Pacific Ocean, often called El Ni?o events, and annual corn production in the United States was investigated. Temperature and atmospheric pressure in parts of the United States have been correlated with El Ni?o events. This research suggests that in years in which an El Ni?o event causes surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific to become warmer than normal, there is a higher probability of an above-average corn crop in the United States. For years when sea surface temperatures are average or cool, no significant association is observed.     

Shifts in deep-sea community structure linked to climate and food supply

A major change in the community structure of the dominant epibenthic megafauna was observed at 4100 meters depth in the northeast Pacific and was synchronous to a major El Ni?o/La Ni?a event that occurred between 1997 and 1999. Photographic abundance estimates of epibenthic megafauna from 1989 to 2002 show that two taxa decreased in abundance after 1998 by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude, whereas several other species increased in abundance by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude. These faunal changes are correlated to climate fluctuations dominated by El Ni?o/La Ni?a. Megafauna even in remote marine areas appear to be affected by contemporary climatic fluctuations. Such faunal changes highlight the importance of an adequate temporal perspective in describing biodiversity, ecology, and anthropogenic impacts in deep-sea communities.     

The possible link between net surface heating and el nino

Three diagnostic analyses are described which strongly suggest the importance of local net surface heating in the life history of the large-scale, air-sea phenomenon centered in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, commonly called El Ni?o. These analyses rely upon monthly marine weather summaries for the period 1957 to 1976. In the first, correlations and coherence spectra were calculated which show a strong link between the net surface heat flux and sea-surface temperature variations over the eastern equatorial Pacific. The second analysis, also based upon the use of coherence spectra, indicates a sea temperature precursor in the eastern ocean near 25 degrees S which precedes sea temperature changes near the El Ni?o focus near 5 degrees S. Since the link between the two regions would require ocean advective velocities that appear to be unreasonably large, this analysis also suggests the importance of atmospheric forcing through the surface heat flux. In the third analysis a proxy variable is described that seems to be a reasonable indicator of the overall effect of ocean dynamics on the temperature of the El Ni?o core region. A composite analysis of the four El Ni?o events of 1957, 1965, 1972, and 1976 suggests that local surface heating is important during the early part of an event, whereas dynamical factors dominate later.