Miller
Arthur J.
Miller
Arthur J.
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ArticleObservational needs supporting marine ecosystems modeling and forecasting: from the global ocean to regional and coastal systems(Frontiers Media, 2019-10-15) Capotondi, Antonietta ; Jacox, Michael ; Bowler, Chris ; Kavanaugh, Maria T. ; Lehodey, Patrick ; Barrie, Daniel ; Brodie, Stephanie ; Chaffron, Samuel ; Cheng, Wei ; Dias, Daniela F. ; Eveillard, Damien ; Guidi, Lionel ; Iudicone, Daniele ; Lovenduski, Nicole S. ; Nye, Janet A. ; Ortiz, Ivonne ; Pirhalla, Douglas ; Pozo Buil, Mercedes ; Saba, Vincent S. ; Sheridan, Scott ; Siedlecki, Samantha A. ; Subramanian, Aneesh C. ; de Vargas, Colomban ; Di Lorenzo, Emanuele ; Doney, Scott C. ; Hermann, Albert J. ; Joyce, Terrence M. ; Merrifield, Mark ; Miller, Arthur J. ; Not, Fabrice ; Pesant, StephaneMany coastal areas host rich marine ecosystems and are also centers of economic activities, including fishing, shipping and recreation. Due to the socioeconomic and ecological importance of these areas, predicting relevant indicators of the ecosystem state on sub-seasonal to interannual timescales is gaining increasing attention. Depending on the application, forecasts may be sought for variables and indicators spanning physics (e.g., sea level, temperature, currents), chemistry (e.g., nutrients, oxygen, pH), and biology (from viruses to top predators). Many components of the marine ecosystem are known to be influenced by leading modes of climate variability, which provide a physical basis for predictability. However, prediction capabilities remain limited by the lack of a clear understanding of the physical and biological processes involved, as well as by insufficient observations for forecast initialization and verification. The situation is further complicated by the influence of climate change on ocean conditions along coastal areas, including sea level rise, increased stratification, and shoaling of oxygen minimum zones. Observations are thus vital to all aspects of marine forecasting: statistical and/or dynamical model development, forecast initialization, and forecast validation, each of which has different observational requirements, which may be also specific to the study region. Here, we use examples from United States (U.S.) coastal applications to identify and describe the key requirements for an observational network that is needed to facilitate improved process understanding, as well as for sustaining operational ecosystem forecasting. We also describe new holistic observational approaches, e.g., approaches based on acoustics, inspired by Tara Oceans or by landscape ecology, which have the potential to support and expand ecosystem modeling and forecasting activities by bridging global and local observations.
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ArticleSeasonal-to-interannual prediction of North American coastal marine ecosystems: forecast methods, mechanisms of predictability, and priority developments(Elsevier, 2020-02-20) Jacox, Michael ; Alexander, Michael A. ; Siedlecki, Samantha A. ; Chen, Ke ; Kwon, Young-Oh ; Brodie, Stephanie ; Ortiz, Ivonne ; Tommasi, Desiree ; Widlansky, Matthew J. ; Barrie, Daniel ; Capotondi, Antonietta ; Cheng, Wei ; Di Lorenzo, Emanuele ; Edwards, Christopher ; Fiechter, Jerome ; Fratantoni, Paula S. ; Hazen, Elliott L. ; Hermann, Albert J. ; Kumar, Arun ; Miller, Arthur J. ; Pirhalla, Douglas ; Pozo Buil, Mercedes ; Ray, Sulagna ; Sheridan, Scott ; Subramanian, Aneesh C. ; Thompson, Philip ; Thorne, Lesley ; Annamalai, Hariharasubramanian ; Aydin, Kerim ; Bograd, Steven ; Griffis, Roger B. ; Kearney, Kelly ; Kim, Hyemi ; Mariotti, Annarita ; Merrifield, Mark ; Rykaczewski, Ryan R.Marine ecosystem forecasting is an area of active research and rapid development. Promise has been shown for skillful prediction of physical, biogeochemical, and ecological variables on a range of timescales, suggesting potential for forecasts to aid in the management of living marine resources and coastal communities. However, the mechanisms underlying forecast skill in marine ecosystems are often poorly understood, and many forecasts, especially for biological variables, rely on empirical statistical relationships developed from historical observations. Here, we review statistical and dynamical marine ecosystem forecasting methods and highlight examples of their application along U.S. coastlines for seasonal-to-interannual (1–24 month) prediction of properties ranging from coastal sea level to marine top predator distributions. We then describe known mechanisms governing marine ecosystem predictability and how they have been used in forecasts to date. These mechanisms include physical atmospheric and oceanic processes, biogeochemical and ecological responses to physical forcing, and intrinsic characteristics of species themselves. In reviewing the state of the knowledge on forecasting techniques and mechanisms underlying marine ecosystem predictability, we aim to facilitate forecast development and uptake by (i) identifying methods and processes that can be exploited for development of skillful regional forecasts, (ii) informing priorities for forecast development and verification, and (iii) improving understanding of conditional forecast skill (i.e., a priori knowledge of whether a forecast is likely to be skillful). While we focus primarily on coastal marine ecosystems surrounding North America (and the U.S. in particular), we detail forecast methods, physical and biological mechanisms, and priority developments that are globally relevant.
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ArticleImpact of extratropical Northeast Pacific SST on U.S. West Coast Precipitation(American Geophysical Union, 2023-02-08) Beaudin, Élise ; Di Lorenzo, Emanuele ; Miller, Arthur J. ; Seo, Hyodae ; Joh, YoungjiThe rainfall over the U.S. West Coast is known to be highly influenced by large‐scale atmospheric circulation and tropical climate teleconnections. However, the role of North Pacific oceanic variability is less understood. Using high‐resolution regional atmospheric model simulations forced by sustained positive and negative phases of the extratropical Pacific Decadal Oscillation sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTa), we diagnose the precipitation changes over the U.S. West Coast during 2010–2020. We find that precipitation anomalies are up to 60% stronger (weaker) for the warm (cold) cases, especially over Northern and Central California during wintertime, and Baja California in the summertime. In both seasons, precipitation is predominantly modulated through changes in the water vapor flux, which are directed toward the coast in wintertime and away from the coast during summertime. These flux anomalies are primarily driven by large‐scale changes in the wind associated with the atmospheric adjustment to the strong ocean SSTa.Plain Language SummaryThis study examines how ocean temperature in the Northeast Pacific affects rainfall in the U.S. West Coast using computer model simulations over the period 2010–2020. Rainfall generally increases when coastal waters are warmer and vice versa. This is especially true in Northern and Central California during wintertime and in Baja California during summertime. The amount of rain is mainly affected by changes in the water vapor that moves toward the coast in the winter and away from the coast in the summer. These changes in water vapor are caused by changes in the wind, which are linked to changes in the surface ocean temperature.Key PointsWarming along the U.S. West Coast can induce wind‐driven vapor fluxes changes leading to enhanced precipitationExtratropical sea surface temperature (SST) forcing can impact large‐scale atmospheric circulationU.S. West Coast precipitation are impacted by extratropical Northeast Pacific SST