1. Oceanic monitor may help predict fish population
A new method to monitor sea surface temperatures and height in the
North Pacific may help in measuring wind patterns and ocean
dynamics and could provide insight into better managing fisheries
located in the mid-latitudes. Robin Tokmakian developed an
algorithm to monitor changes in the sub-surface ocean's heat content
from shifts in the Alaskan and California currents, as the water
follows its circulation pattern over the central and eastern North
Pacific. Such sea temperature and height changes have been shown
to affect the marine ecosystem and fish populations by affecting the
density and mixing of nutrient-rich waters. Tokmakian proposes a
space-based system that can monitor the circulation patterns from
changes in the sea surface height and predict the size of various fish
stocks by observing the North Pacific heat content progression
during its typical southwesterly shift.
Title: Monitoring North Pacific heat content variability: An
indicator of fish quantity?
Author:
Robin Tokmanian, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey,
California.
Source: Earth Interactions (EI) paper 10.1029/2002EI000063, 2003
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2. Vegetation's affect on summer warming may not last
Surface temperatures in North America and Eurasia are balanced by
atmospheric feedback from increased vegetation during summer,
which lowers the temperature, and reduced snow cover during
winter, which increases annual average temperatures. Kaufmann et
al. analyzed the effect of vegetation on surface temperatur
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Contact: Harvey Leifert
hleifert@agu.org
202-777-7507
American Geophysical Union
6-Jan-2004