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Effects of seasonal and interannual variability in along-shelf and cross-shelf transport on groundfish recruitment in the eastern Bering Sea

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Title Effects of seasonal and interannual variability in along-shelf and cross-shelf transport on groundfish recruitment in the eastern Bering Sea
Names Vestfals, Cathleen D. (creator)
Ciannelli, Lorenzo (creator)
Duffy-Anderson, Janet T. (creator)
Ladd, Carol (creator)
Date Issued 2014-11 (iso8601)
Note To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work. This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Elsevier and can be found at: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/deep-sea-research-part-ii-topical-studies-in-oceanography.
Abstract The Bering Sea responds rapidly to atmospheric perturbations and over the past several decades has
experienced extreme variability in both its physical and biological characteristics. These changes can
impact organisms that inhabit the region, particularly marine fishes, as normal current patterns to which
reproductive habits are tuned can be disrupted, which, in turn, may influence recruitment and
population dynamics. To understand the influence of ocean circulation on groundfish recruitment in
the eastern Bering Sea, we examined transport along and across the Bering Slope derived from 23 years
(1982–2004) of simulations from a Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) ocean circulation model.
We expected that changes in the strength and position of the Bering Slope Current (BSC) would affect
recruitment in selected species (Pacific cod, walleye pollock, Greenland halibut, Pacific halibut, and
arrowtooth flounder), and that circulation features along and across the shelf edge would be strongly
influenced by atmospheric forcing. Variability in along-shelf transport at three transects along the path of
the BSC, cross-shelf transport across the 100 and 200 m isobaths, and transport through Unimak Pass
were examined. Strong seasonal and interannual variations in flow were observed, with transport
typically highest during fall and winter months, coinciding with timing of spawning activity in the five
species. Significant correlations were found between transport, BSC position, and groundfish recruitment.
Pacific cod, in particular, benefitted from decreased along-shelf and on-shelf flow, while Pacific
halibut recruitment increased in relation to increased on-shelf transport through southern canyons. The
results of this study improve our understanding of variability in circulation and associated effects on
groundfish recruitment in the eastern Bering Sea.
Genre Article
Topic Bering Sea
Identifier Vestfals, C. D., Ciannelli, L., Duffy-Anderson, J. T., & Ladd, C. (2014). Effects of seasonal and interannual variability in along-shelf and cross-shelf transport on groundfish recruitment in the eastern Bering Sea. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 109, 190-203. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.09.026

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