Which ecological consequence results when a persistent high-pressure system reduces coastal upwelling along the California coast?

💡 Explanation

When a high-pressure system persists, it weakens offshore winds needed for upwelling because Ekman transport decreases, leading to reduced vertical nutrient transport and lower phytoplankton productivity. Therefore local fish populations decline, rather than increased nutrients, kelp expansion, or carbon sequestration due to trophic cascade effects.

• Which phenomenon causes significantly cooler surface water temperatures during coastal upwelling events?
• Which outcome is most likely when rising Arctic permafrost temperatures increase active layer thickness on sloped terrain?
• Which hazard most directly results when large concentrations of tephra are remobilized downslope after initial deposition?
• Which risk increases when a megathrust earthquake occurs along a subduction zone lacking strain partitioning?
• Which climatic response increases when weakened trade winds reduce upwelling during an El Niño event?
• Which mechanism causes increased building damage during earthquakes in areas with soft soils?