Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System

Abstract Non‐stationarity (time‐varying mean or variance) in climate conditions can alter relationships between basin‐scale climate indices and the ecological conditions that map onto them. We consider evidence of time‐varying climate conditions in the California Current System (CCS) based on sea le...

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Main Authors: Megan L. Feddern, Eric J. Ward, Michael A. Litzow, Mary E. Hunsicker, Michael G. Jacox, Isaac D. Schroeder, William H. Satterthwaite, Curry J. Cunningham, Nicholas A. Bond, Michael J. Malick, Brian J. Burke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113431
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author Megan L. Feddern
Eric J. Ward
Michael A. Litzow
Mary E. Hunsicker
Michael G. Jacox
Isaac D. Schroeder
William H. Satterthwaite
Curry J. Cunningham
Nicholas A. Bond
Michael J. Malick
Brian J. Burke
author_facet Megan L. Feddern
Eric J. Ward
Michael A. Litzow
Mary E. Hunsicker
Michael G. Jacox
Isaac D. Schroeder
William H. Satterthwaite
Curry J. Cunningham
Nicholas A. Bond
Michael J. Malick
Brian J. Burke
author_sort Megan L. Feddern
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Non‐stationarity (time‐varying mean or variance) in climate conditions can alter relationships between basin‐scale climate indices and the ecological conditions that map onto them. We consider evidence of time‐varying climate conditions in the California Current System (CCS) based on sea level pressure dynamics that characterize the North Pacific High (NPH), and evaluate the temporal stability of regional relationships between climate indices and physical and biological conditions across the CCS. We find relationships between climate indices and ecological conditions are relatively stable through time, but do not capture short‐term ecological trends. These results show that popular basin‐scale climate indices are insufficient in characterizing the North Pacific climate system, especially from ecosystem perspectives. Applications of associations between climate and ecological variables should consider proximate physical forcing mechanisms and the stability of relationships through time.
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publishDate 2025-05-01
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-daeaf26ba9aa409f91d5a5f9b7e9697e2025-08-20T02:05:13ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-05-015210n/an/a10.1029/2024GL113431Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current SystemMegan L. Feddern0Eric J. Ward1Michael A. Litzow2Mary E. Hunsicker3Michael G. Jacox4Isaac D. Schroeder5William H. Satterthwaite6Curry J. Cunningham7Nicholas A. Bond8Michael J. Malick9Brian J. Burke10University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Juneau AK USAConservation Biology Division Northwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Seattle WA USAAlaska Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service Kodiak AK USAFish Ecology Division Northwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Newport OR USAEcosystem Science Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Monterey CA USAEcosystem Science Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Monterey CA USAFisheries Ecology Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Santa Cruz CA USAUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Juneau AK USAClimate Impacts Group University of Washington Seattle WA USAEnvironmental and Fisheries Sciences Division Northwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Port Orchard WA USAFish Ecology Division Northwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Newport OR USAAbstract Non‐stationarity (time‐varying mean or variance) in climate conditions can alter relationships between basin‐scale climate indices and the ecological conditions that map onto them. We consider evidence of time‐varying climate conditions in the California Current System (CCS) based on sea level pressure dynamics that characterize the North Pacific High (NPH), and evaluate the temporal stability of regional relationships between climate indices and physical and biological conditions across the CCS. We find relationships between climate indices and ecological conditions are relatively stable through time, but do not capture short‐term ecological trends. These results show that popular basin‐scale climate indices are insufficient in characterizing the North Pacific climate system, especially from ecosystem perspectives. Applications of associations between climate and ecological variables should consider proximate physical forcing mechanisms and the stability of relationships through time.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113431
spellingShingle Megan L. Feddern
Eric J. Ward
Michael A. Litzow
Mary E. Hunsicker
Michael G. Jacox
Isaac D. Schroeder
William H. Satterthwaite
Curry J. Cunningham
Nicholas A. Bond
Michael J. Malick
Brian J. Burke
Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System
Geophysical Research Letters
title Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System
title_full Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System
title_fullStr Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System
title_full_unstemmed Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System
title_short Quantifying Time‐Dependent Climate and Ecosystem Relationships in the California Current System
title_sort quantifying time dependent climate and ecosystem relationships in the california current system
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113431
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