Wind-driven upwelling in the northern Strait of Georgia
Presentation Abstract
Recent monitoring and modelling efforts have identified a mid-depth reservoir of inorganic carbon in the Strait of Georgia that can produce near-surface aragonite undersaturation. Wind-driven upwelling of these corrosive waters into coastal areas could be hazardous to the ecosystem, especially aquaculture shellfish. Using one of the latest hydrodynamic modelling frameworks for the region, SalishSeaCast, we simulate several wind-driven upwelling events in the northern Strait and assess their role in transporting water from the aragonite-undersaturated layer into areas of high shellfish farm density like Baynes Sound and the Discovery Islands. We find that southerly winds produce strong upwelling near Denman and Hornby Islands that can be advected into Baynes Sound, while northerly winds produce strong upwelling near the Discovery Islands and along the northern Sunshine Coast and Texada Island. We further quantify the strength and persistence of upwelling in these areas using a passive tracer, and we discuss the implications for carbonate chemistry using data from recent carbon sampling in the northern Strait.
Session Title
Ocean Acidification: Modeling and Predictions
Conference Track
SSE5: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, and Research
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE5-612
Start Date
5-4-2018 1:45 PM
End Date
5-4-2018 2:00 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Upwelling (Oceanography)--Georgia, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.); Aragonite--Georgia, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.); Biotic communities--Ecology--Georgia, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Georgia, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Wind-driven upwelling in the northern Strait of Georgia
Recent monitoring and modelling efforts have identified a mid-depth reservoir of inorganic carbon in the Strait of Georgia that can produce near-surface aragonite undersaturation. Wind-driven upwelling of these corrosive waters into coastal areas could be hazardous to the ecosystem, especially aquaculture shellfish. Using one of the latest hydrodynamic modelling frameworks for the region, SalishSeaCast, we simulate several wind-driven upwelling events in the northern Strait and assess their role in transporting water from the aragonite-undersaturated layer into areas of high shellfish farm density like Baynes Sound and the Discovery Islands. We find that southerly winds produce strong upwelling near Denman and Hornby Islands that can be advected into Baynes Sound, while northerly winds produce strong upwelling near the Discovery Islands and along the northern Sunshine Coast and Texada Island. We further quantify the strength and persistence of upwelling in these areas using a passive tracer, and we discuss the implications for carbonate chemistry using data from recent carbon sampling in the northern Strait.
