Nearshore Dynamics Around Outer Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay

Maha Alnajjar, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, Clifton Brock Woodson, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States, Stephen G Monismith, Stanford University, Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Stanford, CA, United States, Charles A. Boch, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, United States, Fiorenza Micheli, Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA, United States and W. Leonardo Vazquez, Comunidad Y Biodiversidad Asociacion Civil (COBI), Mexico
Abstract:
We present results from our long-term observational study (Mar 2013 – Sept 2015) along the Pacific coast of Baja California peninsula. The presented field data examines the physical hydrodynamics of nearshore processes at Isla San Jeronímo, Isla Natividad, and Isla Magdalena in Baja California, MX. One objective of the study was to understand the potential effects of climate change on that region. The data shows high variation in current magnitude and water temperature that appear related to the presence, or lack thereof, of kelp in the region. Isla Natividad and Isla San Jeronímo, are both upwelling regions within the California Current System, while Isla Magdalena is subtropical. Isla Natividad exhibits large spatial and temporal variability, partially attributed to its unique location in a transitional region between temperate and subtropical waters. The variability of nearshore signal frequency on different sides of Isla Natividad is as large as the difference between Isla San Jeronímo and Isla Magdalena, 420 miles away. Different exposure regimes observed at Isla Natividad led to the coherence between Isla San Jeronímo and Isla Natividad, being larger than that found on either side of Isla Natividad.
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