The California Current System (CCS) off the coast of southern California has been surveyed for 70 years by California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI). Past research associated increases in sea surface temperature (SST) with a decrease in primary productivity in the CCS due to a stronger thermocline, which prevented nitrate moving from the deep layer to the surface. However, recent research indicates that primary productivity is increasing in the CCS despite SST warming. This project shed further light on this unexpected trend and explored whether the data record showed if surface temperature and deep layer nitrate concentration are increasing. A unique workflow using Empirical Bayesian Kriging 3D and the Space Time Cube toolset in ArcGIS Pro was created to analyze spatial and temporal patterns in temperature and nitrate in the long time-series hydrographic dataset using both vertical and horizontal cross-sections. Results show that SST and deep layer nitrate offshore are increasing in the CCS, and spatial patterns suggest the increased nitrate may be delivered by the California Current, perhaps due to changes to circulation in the Pacific.
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