Zeliang Wang

Migration Pathways, Behavioural Thermoregulation and Overwintering Grounds of Blue Sharks in the Northwest Atlantic

The blue shark Prionace glauca is the most abundant large pelagic shark in the Atlantic Ocean. Although recaptures of tagged sharks have shown that the species is highly migratory, migration pathways towards the overwintering grounds remain poorly understood. We used archival satellite pop-up tags to track 23 blue sharks over a mean period of 88 days as they departed the coastal waters of North America in the autumn. Within 1–2 days of entering the Gulf Stream (median date of 21 Oct), all sharks initiated a striking diel vertical migration, taking them from a mean nighttime depth of 74 m to a mean depth of 412 m during the day as they appeared to pursue vertically migrating squid and fish prey. Although functionally blind at depth, calculations suggest that there would be a ∼2.5-fold thermoregulatory advantage to swimming and feeding in the markedly cooler deep waters, even if there was any reduced foraging success associated with the extreme depth. Noting that the Gulf Stream current speeds are reduced at depth, we used a detailed circulation model of the North Atlantic to examine the influence of the diving behaviour on the advection experienced by the sharks. However, there was no indication that the shark diving resulted in a significant modification of their net migratory pathway. The relative abundance of deep-diving sharks, swordfish, and sperm whales in the Gulf Stream and adjacent waters suggests that it may serve as a key winter feeding ground for large pelagic predators in the North Atlantic.

An abrupt shift in the Labrador Current System in relation to winter NAO events

The behavior of the Labrador Current during the period from 1990 to 2007 is investigated with an eddy-resolving circulation model for the North Atlantic Ocean. An EOF analysis of the model output suggests that the variability in the Labrador Current can be partitioned into a western Labrador Current (WLC; from the 300-2500 m isobaths), and an eastern Labrador Current (ELC; from the 2500-3300 m isobaths). The model results demonstrate that the WLC transport experienced an abrupt increase during 2000-2002, consistent with data. This differed significantly from the ELC transport which was strong during the high winter NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) years (1990-95) and then steadily declined. This ELC trend is consistent with changes in the modelled Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and convection depth. Our study proposes that the change in the WLC is due to a southwestward shift of the atmospheric circulation pattern starting in 2001, coincident with a change in the 2001 NAO index, and also in a westward shift of the action centers of the winter NAO events. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Trends and Variability of Sea Surface Temperature in the Northwest Atlantic from Three Historical Gridded Datasets

ABSTRACT Historical variability in sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic (NA) is examined using trend and Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analyses of annual and summer means from three interpolated monthly datasets: Hadley Centre Sea Ice and Sea Surface Temperature (HadISST1), Extended Reconstruction of SST (ERSST), and Centennial in situ Observation-Based Estimates (COBE). Comparisons with time series of upper-ocean temperature from four monitoring sites off Atlantic Canada reveal substantial similarity in the interannual to multi-decadal variability but notable differences in the longer-term trends. The magnitude of decadal-scale variability is comparable to, or greater than, the long-term changes in all of the datasets; together with the trend discrepancies, this needs to be considered in climate change applications. Averaged over the NA, the annual means have a long-term increasing trend and a pronounced multi-decadal variation, resembling those in global mean (land-ocean) surface temperature and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO). There is remarkable similarity in the spatial and temporal variability of the three leading EOF modes from the different gridded datasets, with the first highly correlated with the AMO, the second modestly correlated with the winter North Atlantic Oscillation, and the third apparently related to ocean circulation variability. Trends since 1981 are generally two to three times larger than those since 1900 and 1950, which is at least partly related to the phase of the AMO. Trends in the summer means are generally larger than in the annual means. Overall, the results provide support for both anthropogenic global warming and decadal-scale natural variations making important contributions to ocean climate variability in the Northwest Atlantic.

Sea ice sensitivity to the parameterisation of open water area

Based on version 2 of the Louvain-la-Neuve sea Ice Model (LIM2), sensitivity experiments reveal simple relations between ice conditions and the characteristic thickness parameter ho that appears in the parameterisation used to determine changes in open water area during ice growth. In particular, when ho is increased, the ice concentration is decreased during ice growth and increased during the subsequent melting season; the annual mean sea ice volume, thickness and extent all increase with ho. Calibration of ho makes it possible to adjust the model-simulated ice volume and thickness variations to be consistent with observations.

A climate-associated multispecies cryptic cline in the northwest Atlantic

Cryptic multispecies genetic structure reflects ocean climate and is associated with response to climate change. The spatial genetic structure of most species in the open marine environment remains largely unresolved. This information gap creates uncertainty in the sustainable management, recovery, and associated resilience of marine communities and our capacity to extrapolate beyond the few species for which such information exists. We document a previously unidentified multispecies biogeographic break aligned with a steep climatic gradient and driven by seasonal temperature minima in the northwest Atlantic. The coherence of this genetic break across our five study species with contrasting life histories suggests a pervasive macroecological phenomenon. The integration of this genetic structure with habitat suitability models and climate forecasts predicts significant variation in northward distributional shifts among populations and availability of suitable habitat in future oceans. The results of our integrated approach provide new perspective on how cryptic intraspecific diversity associated with climatic variation influences species and community response to climate change beyond simple poleward shifts.

Predicted distribution of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf and its persistence in the face of climatic variability

Emerald Basin on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia, Canada, is home to a globally unique aggregation of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi, first documented in the region in 1889. In 2009, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented two Sponge Conservation Areas to protect these sponge grounds from bottom fishing activities. Together, the two conservation areas encompass 259 km2. In order to ascertain the degree to which the sponge grounds remain unprotected, we modelled the presence probability and predicted range distribution of V. pourtalesi on the Scotian Shelf using random forest modelling on presence-absence records. With a high degree of accuracy the random forest model predicted the highest probability of occurrence of V. pourtalesi in the inner basins on the central Scotian Shelf, with lower probabilities at the shelf break and in the Fundian and Northeast Channels. Bottom temperature was the most important determinant of its distribution in the model. Although the two DFO Sponge Conservation Areas protect some of the more significant concentrations of V. pourtalesi, much of its predicted distribution remains unprotected (over 99%). Examination of the hydrographic conditions in Emerald Basin revealed that the V. pourtalesi sponge grounds are associated with a warmer and more saline water mass compared to the surrounding shelf. Reconstruction of historical bottom temperature and salinity in Emerald Basin revealed strong multi-decadal variability, with average bottom temperatures varying by 8°C. We show that this species has persisted in the face of this climatic variability, possibly indicating how it will respond to future climate change.