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Prince Rupert Regional Information Site

NATURE

Sea, land, river

PEOPLES

Community

Blooms

Waxing & Waning

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

Bloom in Hecate	OrbView
	August 20^th ---weaker?

Appears to weaken w time

15th of August

Commentary over past week

Here use the imagery on Level 3 site which is updated daily –when Hecate not visible (clouds), then I used 2 day image

On 13^th August (left) SE Alaska archipelago (1) still good bloom as is Puget Sound and WCVI (3) --- WA –OR bloom (4) in some decline

Note too San Francisco area (5) and LA area (6)

	Cloudy locally
	SE AK still blooming (1) while other areas appear declining – especially the SF (5) area – while the LA (6) area beginning to bloom --- both are fed nutrients by upwelling at this time of year

More cloudy days

Hecate blooming (light green) as is most the west coast – WCVI (3) w blooms from upwelling – but bloom appears waning in Puget Sound

SF (upwelling bloom) area 5 appears stronger --- while LA bloom same

Compare Orbview 15 w NASA Aug 15–Orbview similar but more detail (scale)

Comparing sensors

15^th bloom in Hecate stronger than 13^th

4-6 blooms due to cooler upwelled waters w more nutrients

Comparing plankton blooms and SST

Different Scale reveals complex upwelling

Note the much cooler (and presumably nutrient rich) area at 3 off the WCVI --- the upwelling could be caused by strong winds and might be ‘enhanced’ by strong outflow of Fraser River waters

Area off WA and OR is cool but not as cool as off WCVI or San Francisco (5) --- which could mean winds not as strong or previously upwelled waters not being replenished and are warming up --- or perhaps identifies cooler Columbia River waters mixing into more saline Pacific waters

Previous articles:

Blooms still Aug 5th

Full Bloom again on July 23rd

Full bloom July 15^th

Unclear on July 8^th

Seen as over on July 1^st
Waning on June 25^th
Full bloom on June14^th

Building on June9^th

Compare w last May 23^rd

And before that w May 9^th

Blooms Wax & wane over time --

Created by LG on 21/8/2007

Last updated on Tuesday, August 21, 2007