Along the West Coast, the California Current plays a key role in the ocean’s productivity. Beginning off southern British Columbia, the Current is part of the North Pacific Gyre and flows south past Washington, Oregon, California and ends off southern Baja.
The cool waters of the Current moving south, combined with extensive upwelling that brings even colder, nutrient-laden waters to the coast, results in a region rich in biological diversity that supports key U.S. fisheries.
The 2018 U.S. West Coast Biological Observations Workshop brought together a significant proportion of the scientific and observing communities working to understand the biological systems and observing needs within the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME).
Together, this group hatched a vision for a coordinated network focused on the region’s biological resources: the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem Biological Observing Network. A key goal is to deliver more consistent biology and ecosystem data, building on the underlying foundations that already exist for physical ocean and biogeochemical research.