Observations of the 2014 warm anomaly in the Southern California Current

Moored observations off Pt. Conception and Del Mar of physical and biogeochemical quantities are combined with wind and sealevel observations to elucidate the processes which lead to the anomalous warming in summer 2014 off southern California. Current measurements show enhanced and anomalous northward flow already in the preceding year. Wind data in the region and to the south are used to assess the intensity of upwelling circulations. Biogeochemical observations help to interpret the anomalies observed, and to relate them to alongshore and cross-shelf flow anomalies. It will be shown that preconditioning of the water column prior to the anomalous warming played an important role.