LA JOLLA, Calif., March 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say better satellite tracking shows the El Nino affecting the northern Pacific Ocean is reducing marine life and the number of seabirds.
Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography say a stronger-than-normal northward movement of warm water up the Southern California coast, along with a high sea-level in January and low abundances of plankton and pelagic fish, all are conditions consistent with El Nino.
"Based on our previous experience of El Nino in California, it is likely to reduce ocean production below normal, with possible effects extending to breeding failure of seabirds, and much lower catches in the market squid fishery," said Sam McClatchie, an oceanographer at NOAA's Southwest Fisheries.
The researchers said a combination of satellite remote sensing and field measurements is offering a broader and faster view of the evolution of the El Nino that was not available during previous El Ninos.
The scientists said if El Nino conditions continue, they are likely to be characterized by weaker-than-normal upwelling and lower biological production. El Nino conditions are forecast to persist into spring and, if they do so, the researchers said, greater biological anomalies than have already been observed might occur.
