nidae include rosefishes, which are fairly abundant. In general, the
community structure resembles that of temperate waters, with hake for
cod, anchovy for herring, roscfish for redfish, jack mackerel for jack
mackerel, mackerel for mackerel together with various flatfishes. The
bathypelagic fishes are in general found beyond the dynamic boundary
at 100 km.
The biological mechanisms in the upwelling areas have not been
studied specifically. But in Monterey Bay, where upwelling spreads as
if from the head of the canyon, the phytoplankton from fine-net hauls
have been analysed by months and correlated with the mean minimum
temperatures inshore in the bay (Bolin and Abbott, 1963 ; Abbott and
Albee, 1967) (Fig. 6). Such a correlation is to be expected, but the
fairly long series of observations in Monterey Bay provides evidence of
the dependence of the phytoplankton outburst (in the language of
temperate production cycles) upon the upwelling system.
The study in the California Current was a very extensive one which
has yielded many important results on the structure of the current
system, the distribution of upwelling and the structure of the biological
communities. The dependence of the biological systems upon upwelling
has been shown in Monterey Bay, but has been analysed more fully in
the Gulf of Panama.
B. The System in the Gulf of Panama
As part of their study of the biology of live bait, the Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission has made a comprehensive study of upwelling in the Gulf of Panama, as well as in the Gulf of Nicoya and the
Gulf of Tehuantepec, on the western coasts of Central America. For a
period of years, observations of wind, temperature, salinity, nutrients
and plankton were made at stations in the Gulf of Panama. In general,
upwelling is generated by northerly winds blowing from the head of the
Gulf between February and April. From changes in temperature,
salinity, oxygen and phosphate in response to winds, Schaefer,
et al. (1958), estimated that the water upwells at least 50 m
each spring. Schaefer et al. (1958) showed that upwelling was limited
to the Gulf. The surface temperatures, the reduction of which indicates
upwelling, are inversely related to wind strengths from the north 4 days
earlier. Forsbergh (1963) estimated that the greater rates of upwelling
ranged from 2.1 to 2.8 m per day ; during the period of upwelling the
production of radioactive carbon amounted to 680 mg/m2 per day, as
opposed t o 330 mg/m2 per day during the rainy period when no upwelling takes place. The radiocarbon observations were significantly
correlated with the increase of oxygen and the decrease of phosphate.
community structure resembles that of temperate waters, with hake for
cod, anchovy for herring, roscfish for redfish, jack mackerel for jack
mackerel, mackerel for mackerel together with various flatfishes. The
bathypelagic fishes are in general found beyond the dynamic boundary
at 100 km.
The biological mechanisms in the upwelling areas have not been
studied specifically. But in Monterey Bay, where upwelling spreads as
if from the head of the canyon, the phytoplankton from fine-net hauls
have been analysed by months and correlated with the mean minimum
temperatures inshore in the bay (Bolin and Abbott, 1963 ; Abbott and
Albee, 1967) (Fig. 6). Such a correlation is to be expected, but the
fairly long series of observations in Monterey Bay provides evidence of
the dependence of the phytoplankton outburst (in the language of
temperate production cycles) upon the upwelling system.
The study in the California Current was a very extensive one which
has yielded many important results on the structure of the current
system, the distribution of upwelling and the structure of the biological
communities. The dependence of the biological systems upon upwelling
has been shown in Monterey Bay, but has been analysed more fully in
the Gulf of Panama.
B. The System in the Gulf of Panama
As part of their study of the biology of live bait, the Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission has made a comprehensive study of upwelling in the Gulf of Panama, as well as in the Gulf of Nicoya and the
Gulf of Tehuantepec, on the western coasts of Central America. For a
period of years, observations of wind, temperature, salinity, nutrients
and plankton were made at stations in the Gulf of Panama. In general,
upwelling is generated by northerly winds blowing from the head of the
Gulf between February and April. From changes in temperature,
salinity, oxygen and phosphate in response to winds, Schaefer,
et al. (1958), estimated that the water upwells at least 50 m
each spring. Schaefer et al. (1958) showed that upwelling was limited
to the Gulf. The surface temperatures, the reduction of which indicates
upwelling, are inversely related to wind strengths from the north 4 days
earlier. Forsbergh (1963) estimated that the greater rates of upwelling
ranged from 2.1 to 2.8 m per day ; during the period of upwelling the
production of radioactive carbon amounted to 680 mg/m2 per day, as
opposed t o 330 mg/m2 per day during the rainy period when no upwelling takes place. The radiocarbon observations were significantly
correlated with the increase of oxygen and the decrease of phosphate.