scholarly journals The demographic decline of a sea lion population followed multi-decadal sea surface warming

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Adame ◽  
Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken ◽  
Emilio Beier ◽  
Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse ◽  
Mario A. Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Surface Warming

AbstractBackgroundThe population growth of top predators depends largely on environmental conditions suitable for aggregating sufficient and high-quality prey. We reconstructed numerically the population size dynamics of a resident population of California sea lions in the Gulf of California during 1978 – 2019, and its relation with the gulf’s multi-decadal sea surface temperature trend. This are the first long-term insights to the oceanic environment of the Gulf of California and to the population trend of one of its major predators.ResultsOur results indicate that a three-decade sustained warming explains statistically the population’s trend, including a ∼65% decline between 1991 – 2019, accounting for 92% of the variance. Long-term warming conditions started in the late 80’s, followed by the population’s decline, from a peak of 43,834 animals (range: 34,080 - 58,274) in 1991 to only 15,291 (range: range: 11,861 - 20,316) in 2019. The models suggested a century-scale optimum sea surface habitat for the population occurring in mildly temperate waters, from 0.18 to 0.39°C above the 100- year mean of 22.24°C.ConclusionsThe negative relation of the population size with warming sea surface conditions was evident, and the predictability of the former from the sea surface temperature 100-year anomalies was high. The mechanistic links of this relation are still untested, but an apparent diversification of pelagic fish catches suggests a reduction of high quality prey. We propose that this sea lion population should be considered as vulnerable to any disturbance that could add to the negative effects of the current sea surface warming conditions in the Gulf of California.

scholarly journals Long-term sea surface temperature variability in the Aegean Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Skliris ◽  
Sarantis S. Sofianos ◽  
Athanasios Gkanasos ◽  
Panagiotis Axaopoulos ◽  
Anneta Mantziafou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Warming ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Nao Index ◽  
Decadal Scale

The inter-annual/decadal scale variability of the Aegean Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is investigated by means of long-term series of satellite-derived and in situ data. Monthly mean declouded SST maps are constructed over the 1985–2008 period, based on a re-analysis of AVHRR Oceans Pathfinder optimally interpolated data over the Aegean Sea. Basin-average SST time series are also constructed using the ICOADS in situ data over 1950–2006. Results indicate a small SST decreasing trend until the early nineties, and then a rapid surface warming consistent with the acceleration of the SST rise observed on the global ocean scale. Decadal-scale SST anomalies were found to be negatively correlated with the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index over the last 60 years suggesting that along with global warming effects on the regional scale, a part of the long-term SST variability in the Aegean Sea is driven by large scale atmospheric natural variability patterns. In particular, the acceleration of surface warming in the Aegean Sea began nearly simultaneously with the NAO index abrupt shift in the mid-nineties from strongly positive values to weakly positive/negative values.

scholarly journals Observations of positive sea surface temperature trends in the steadily shrinking Dead Sea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Kishcha ◽  
Rachel T. Pinker ◽  
Isaac Gertman ◽  
Boris Starobinets ◽  
Pinhas Alpert
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Warming ◽  
Temperature Trends ◽  
The Dead

Abstract. The steadily shrinking Dead Sea followed by sea surface warming compensates surface water cooling due to increasing evaporation, and even causes the observed positive Dead Sea surface temperature trends. Using observations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), positive trends were detected in both daytime (0.06 °C year−1) and nighttime (0.04 °C year−1) Dead Sea surface temperature (SST) over the period of 2000–2016. These positive SST trends were observed in the absence of positive trends in surface solar radiation measured by the Dead Sea buoy pyranometer. Neither changes in water mixing in the Dead Sea nor changes in evaporation could explain surface temperature trends. There is a positive feedback loop between the shrinking of the Dead Sea and positive SST trends, which leads to the accelerating decrease in Dead Sea water levels during the period under study. Note that there are two opposite processes based on available measurements: on the one hand, the measured accelerating rate of Dead Sea water levels suggests a long-term increase in Dead Sea evaporation which is expected to be accompanied by a long-term decrease in sea surface temperature. On the other hand, the positive feedback loop leads to the observed shrinking of the Dead Sea area followed by sea surface warming year on year. The total result of these two opposite processes is the statistically significant positive sea surface temperature trends in both daytime (0.06 °C year−1) and nighttime (0.04 °C year−1) during the period under investigation, observed by the MODIS instrument. Our results shed light on the continuing hazard to the Dead Sea and possible disappearance of this unique site.

Structure and function of the southeastern Gulf of California ecosystem during low and high sea surface temperature variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 101686
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Hernández-Padilla ◽  
Manuel J. Zetina-Rejón ◽  
F. Arreguín-Sánchez ◽  
Pablo del Monte-Luna ◽  
José T. Nieto-Navarro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Temperature Variability ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Sea-surface temperature records of Termination 1 in the Gulf of California: Challenges for seasonal and interannual analogues of tropical Pacific climate change

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L. McClymont ◽  
Raja S. Ganeshram ◽  
Laetitia E. Pichevin ◽  
Helen M. Talbot ◽  
Bart E. van Dongen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Temperature Records

scholarly journals Long term trends in the sea surface temperature of the Black Sea

Ocean Science ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. I. Shapiro ◽  
D. L. Aleynik ◽  
L. D. Mee
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Sst Variability ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Cooling Trend

Abstract. There is growing understanding that recent deterioration of the Black Sea ecosystem was partly due to changes in the marine physical environment. This study uses high resolution 0.25° climatology to analyze sea surface temperature variability over the 20th century in two contrasting regions of the sea. Results show that the deep Black Sea was cooling during the first three quarters of the century and was warming in the last 15–20 years; on aggregate there was a statistically significant cooling trend. The SST variability over the Western shelf was more volatile and it does not show statistically significant trends. The cooling of the deep Black Sea is at variance with the general trend in the North Atlantic and may be related to the decrease of westerly winds over the Black Sea, and a greater influence of the Siberian anticyclone. The timing of the changeover from cooling to warming coincides with the regime shift in the Black Sea ecosystem.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document