Ocean acidification is exacerbated along the California shelf due to the upwelling of deep CO2 rich waters. This process of upwelling is driven by along-shore winds, which vary in strength by season. We present the relationship between along-shore wind and aragonite undersaturation utilizing an empirical formula to determine aragonite saturation from salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Our models show that stronger along-shore winds are correlated with a higher percentage of the water column undersaturated in aragonite. In addition, pteropod and juvenile krill density decrease in upwelled water which is cold, salty, and low in aragonite. With a predicted increase in along-shore winds, California shelf waters will become more undersaturated in aragonite and lead to a decrease in pteropod and krill density.
Anderson R. J., 2019. Spatial patterns in aragonite saturation for the north central California shelf. MSc thesis, San Francisco State University. Thesis (restricted access).
