SUf-iMAR Y 



Coast 



Very little iaformation on coastal conditions was compiled for 

 Ocean V^riabiJLii^ in the U.S. Fishery Conservation Zoner 1976. 

 Haynes (Paper 16) summarized river runoff into the "liddle 

 Atlantic Bightr where the volume flow showed an early spring/' 

 peaking in February instead of ^larch or April. There also was 

 extremely high flow in October when r rec i pi t a t ion in the 

 Chesapeake drdinage basin exceeded 300% of normal. Precipitation 

 exceeded 15 0% of normal over the entire Appalachian Range in 

 October. This extreme precipitation was associated with the 

 continental trough and extreme wave conditions in the atmosphere. 

 The consequent runoff into the Chesapeake Bay influenced the 

 survival of oyster spat. 



McLain (Paper 10) summarized fluctuations in temperature and 

 density at coastal stations from Maine to Florida^ Florida to 

 Texas/^ and Alaska to California. The densities at a tide station 

 at Kiptopeke Beach/ VA/ at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay/ had a 

 large negative anomaly in November/ one month later than the 

 extreme flow in the Chesapeake. The early onset of the cold 

 1976-77 winter was shown by positive density anomalies in New 

 England/ a consequence of early freezing and decreased runoff. 

 Negative temperature anomalies in fall 1976 extended along the 

 entire east coast. They began in midsumrrer south of New Jersey. 



Sretschneider and McLain (Paper 5) summarized historical data 

 (1931-75/ with some gaps in coverage) showing variations in sea 

 level along the Pacific coast. Unfortunately/ the 1^76 data were 

 not available to them. Changes in sea level over broad ocean 

 areas can be related to shifts in wind patterns/ upwelling 

 regimes/ etc./ and may be indicative of conditions affecting 

 certain resource species such as Pacific mackerel. 



OpeQ Ocean 



The conditions in and beyond the Fishery Conservation Zone were 

 summarized by Haynes (Paper 3) and Roulet ?nd Haynes (Paper 4). 

 Dickson and Namias (Paper ^) presented a summary and analysis of 

 the 19 76 conditions. The eastern North Pacific/ which began 1976 

 with a smaller reservoir of w^rm surface «ater than in previous 

 years/ continued tc cool. By the end of the ye or the sea surface 

 temperatures were anomalously cold. Heat storage (average tem- 

 perature/ C-100 mb) in the Pacific/ discussed by Saur (Paper 7) 

 also was lower in 1976 than in 1975. 



The central North Atlantic does not have as strong an influence 

 on conditions in the Fishery Conservation Zone as does the 

 eastern North Pacific. It is downwind of the Zone and is 

 isolated from it by a strong frontal system/ the Gulf Stream. 



