West Coast Region Acidification Research

Abstract

The West Coast Region includes the U.S. coastal waters off of Washington, Oregon, and California including the continental shelf and inland seas. These waters are influenced by adjacent regions and are collectively referred to as the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME). This region is an eastern boundary current system marked by seasonal upwelling, which brings old, cold, and low-pH, carbon-rich subsurface waters to the ocean surface and drives significant regional pH and temperature variability. The CCLME is home to a highly produc-tive ecosystem yielding economically and culturally significant fisheries including salmon and Dungeness crab.

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