Anomalous Coastal Poleward Flow in Southern California and the Regional Impacts of this Prior to and during the 2014 Marine Heatwave and 2015-16 El Niño

The 2014 North Pacific warm anomaly, or marine heatwave, set record high sea surface temperature anomalies off southern California. This was followed by the 2015-16 El Niño which maintained unusually high temperatures in the region. At the same time, and in the 1-2 years prior to this, coastal moorings off of southern California show pronounced anomalous poleward flow. These alongshore currents may be important for regional changes in heat, stratification, and upwelling source waters. In addition, this anomalous poleward flow may have helped facilitate the warming effects of the marine heatwave and El Niño. A combination of mooring observations, coastal tide gauges, and altimetry is used to study the anomalous poleward flow and the impact of it on changes in physical and biogeochemical properties. This analysis examines the alongshore extent of poleward flow, the dynamics responsible for driving these anomalous currents, and how this caused changes in source water properties and the upwelling system in southern California.