Underwater observatory captures coastal upwelling events off New Jersey

A third summer of coastal upwelling observations was recently completed by researchers at LEO‐15, the Long‐term Ecosystem Observatory established in 15 m of water offshore of Tuckerton, New Jersey. Each year, real‐time satellite images of wind‐driven upwelling events trigger fast‐response shipboard surveys to study the subsurface structure of the upwelled features and their relationship to bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (Figure 1). The LEO‐15 observations indicate that recurrent up‐welling centers develop on the downslope sides of topographic highs and coincide with the historically observed regions of recurrent low DO. Recent modeling suggests that because of the along‐shore topographic variations, a cyclonic eddy in the upwelling center forms that may concentrate nutrients, leading to phytoplankton blooms and subsequent reductions in DO as the resulting organic material decays below the thermocline.