SUMMARY 



JuLien R. Goulet^ Jr 



The effects of ocean variability on U.S. marine fishery resources 

 can best be summarized within the context of the broad-scale 

 atmospheric and oceanic conditions surrounding our area of 

 interest/' the U.S. Fishery Conservation Zone. The variability of 

 the environment within the Zone is controlled by conditions and 

 processes in the overlying atmosphere^ at the coast/ in the open 

 ocean beyond our Zone^ and along the bottom within our Zone. The 

 oarers contributed to this document present a synthesis/ not 

 necessarily analytic^ cf the conditions and processes affecting 

 the U.S. marine fishery resources during 1976. 



This summary first focuses on the overlying atmosphere/ which 

 connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the North 

 American continent. The conditions at the U.S. coast/ in the 

 open ocean beyond our Zone/ and along the bottom are summarized 

 in turn. Following this/ the responses of marine fishery 

 resources to the variability of their environment are estimated. 



A t mosg here 



Conditions are considered at the 700 mb Level/ the height of 

 approximately the lower third of the atmosphere. This is high 

 enough (about 3/000 m above sea level) to be free of surface 

 friction/ ana thus reflects the large-scale conditions and events 

 taking plsce in the atmosphere. It is also low enough to be 

 completely within the troposphere/ that part of the atmosphere 

 which interacts with the ocean. 



Two salient features of the atmosphere in 1976 were the 

 continuation of stronger than average westerly winds over the 

 Northern Hemisphere oceans and a return to lower latitudes of the 

 subpolar low pressure anomaly cells. The variations in westerly 

 wine strength and position influence patterns of upwelling and 

 offshore wind driven transport as well as sea surface temperature 

 distributions. These in turn influence several resource species 



Resource Assessment Division/ National 

 Service/ NCAA/ Washington/ DC 23235. 



^ar ine 



Fisheries 



