Temperature Anomalies in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and the Influence of Winds and Currents during the 2013-2014 Northeast Pacific Marine Heat Wave and 2015 El Niño

Abstract

The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is located in the northeast Pacific Ocean and off the northwest coast of Washington. Using spring to fall water temperature records from sanctuary moorings, I constructed a climatology of this nearshore environment and examined temperature anomalies during the 2013-14 northeast Pacific marine heat wave and 2015 El Niño events. My analysis focused on assessing the spatial and temporal extent of these anomalies. I also examine the influence of winds and currents and their relationship to water temperature at the mooring sites. My results show significant positive temperature anomalies that have durations of 10-20 days and are strongly correlated with wind and current observations.