WORKSHEET
PREPARATION: Watch the movies on the opening page to answer these questions:
Ingredients: What are three "ingredients" for marine production?
Food Web: What type of organism fuels the marine food web?
Grazers: What function do grazers perform?
Upwelling: Does upwelling only occur along coasts?
•
When done, you are ready to "Go to the interactive data tool" (link at bottom of the page).
STEP 1: Click the "User Guide" button to learn how to use the interface
• When you’ve analyzed all the data, none of the answers will be marked as “---“
• Either print your analysis or use its information to complete the matrices (Steps 2 and 3).
STEP 2: Discover correlations among data sets
• If you are investigating the "COASTAL CALIFORNIA" area, continue with this Step. If
you are investigating only the "TROPICAL PACIFIC," skip to Step 3.
• Print your “Show Analysis” window or use its information to fill in this matrix:
COASTAL CALIFORNIA
A = At coast
O = Offshore
B = Both areas
N = Neither area
Surface water temperatures are below 12°C
Colder (10°C) water nearly reaches the surface (about 25m depth)
Winds blow parallel to the coastline
Surface chlorophyll > 2 mg/m^3
Summer
Winter
Look at the printed "Analysis" or matrix (above). Consider these questions:
• Is Surface Temperature generally cooler during summer or winter?
•
At the coast, is Subsurface Temperature generally cooler in the summer or the winter?
PHYTOPIA - UPWELLING ZONES - WORKSHEET - PAGE 1
The graph at left shows the
relationship between nitrate –
an important nutrient for
phytoplankton growth – and
temperature. These data are
from the California Coast (i.e.,
Monterey Bay).
• Based on this graph, what is
the general relationship
between temperature and
nitrate concentration?
•
•
At the coast, would you expect nitrate concentrations to be higher in the summer or the
winter?
If needed, view the "upwelling"
intro movie to learn how wind
direction is related to surface
water movement in the northern
hemisphere. Then draw the
expected direction of water
movement (as new arrows) with
the winds shown in the diagrams
at left and right.
To promote the upward movement of relatively colder water from depth, winds must drive
surface waters offshore. Given this, which wind direction favors upwelling along California's
Coast? (Circle one of the maps above)
•
Based on the printed "Analysis" or matrix (above). Do winds favor upwelling along
California's Coast during summer or winter?
•
Is surface Coastal California surface chlorophyll generally higher during summer or winter?
PHYTOPIA - UPWELLING ZONES - WORKSHEET - PAGE 2
•
How does chlorophyll related to upwelling and why is it important to Central California’s
fishery?
•
What species of fish are important to Central California's economy? Reference materials may
include 2001 - 2004 data for "Monthly Landings in Pounds in the Monterey Area" (available
under "Teaching Resources"). Original source: California Department of Fish and Game
website (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/).
STEP 3: Discover correlations among data sets
• Print your “Show Analysis” window or use its information to fill in this matrix:
TROPICAL PACIFIC
W = Western Pacific
E = Eastern Pacific
B = Both areas
N = Neither area
Surface Temperature > 29°C
Subsurface Temperature > 28°C
Easterly (east-to-west) Winds
Chlorophyll > 0.6 mg/m^3
El Niño
October
November
La Niña
December
June
July
August
Look at the printed "Analysis" or matrix (above). Consider these questions:
• Is Surface Temperature generally warmer during El Niño or La Niña?
•
Is Subsurface Temperature generally warmer during El Niño or La Niña?
•
Trade Winds are normally “easterly” (i.e., blow east-to-west). Where are Trade Winds
“reversed” (i.e., blow west-to-east) during El Niño? La Niña?
•
Is surface Chlorophyll generally higher during El Niño or La Niña?
PHYTOPIA - UPWELLING ZONES - WORKSHEET - PAGE 3
In general, what are the correlations between Surface Temperature and:
• Subsurface Temperature?
•
Easterly Winds?
•
Chlorophyll?
Do any other pairs of data seem to be strongly correlated?
From these correlations, can you guess at the “cause and effect” relationships among winds,
temperature, and chlorophyll in the Tropical Pacific Ocean?
If you have also investigated Coastal California data sets (Step 2), what some differences and
similarities between these upwelling systems?
How might environmental and political differences affect the Coastal California versus Tropical
Pacific fisheries? (You may want to see the "Eastern Tropical Pacific tuna fisheries" article
available under "Teaching Resources".)
PHYTOPIA - UPWELLING ZONES - WORKSHEET - PAGE 4