Dados de captura da lagosta Panulirus argus na plataforma cubana foram comparados com concentrações de clorofila (Chl a) e valores de Temperatura de Superfície do Mar (TSM) obtidos pelos sensores Sea Viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWIFS) e Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), respectivamente. Uma análise de correlação cruzada foi realizada entre as anomalias padronizadas das variáveis ambientais (Chl a e TSM) e as anomalias padronizadas de capturas da lagosta para cada zona de pesca no período 1997-2005. Para as águas profundas adjacentes às zonas de pesca não foi observada uma sazonalidade evidente da Chl a. De forma geral, os menores valores de Chl a ocorreram ao sul da Ilha. Na maioria das zonas de pesca, a captura da lagosta apresentou os maiores coeficientes de correlação com valores de Chl a com defasagem de dois e três anos. Já em relação à análise com dados de TSM, os coeficientes de correlação cruzada apresentaram valores significativos apenas a partir de uma defasagem de 1,5 anos para praticamente todas as zonas de pesca. Neste estudo confirma-se que, em águas cubanas, correlações cruzadas significativas entre estas duas variáveis ambientais medidas por satélite e as capturas da lagosta espinhosa ocorrem principalmente durante o ciclo de vida planctônico desta espécie.

The coastal area north of Yucatan has experienced a cooling SST trend from 1982 to 2015 during the upwelling season (May–September) that contrasts with the warming observed at the adjacent ocean area. Different drivers were analyzed to identify the possible causes of that unusual coastal cooling. Changes in coastal upwelling and in sea-atmosphere heat fluxes are not consistent with the observed coastal cooling. The eastward shift of the Yucatan Current observed over the last decades is hypothesized as the most probable cause of coastal cooling. This shift enhances the vertical transport of cold deeper water to the continental shelf from where it is pumped to the surface by upwelling favorable westerly winds.

Since 1974, there has been a significant increasing trend in land and sea surface temperatures of 0.5 and 0.24°C decade–1, respectively, in the NW Iberian Peninsula. Over the same period, annual precipitation does not show any trend, although some tendencies have been detected at seasonal scales. A significant positive trend, on average of 2 cm decade–1, was also observed in sea level rise from 1943 onwards. Ekman transport perpendicular to the coast (upwelling index) showed a decrease from 1975 to 2008 at both annual and seasonal scales. In addition, the flow of the Miño River (the main river in the area) has also decreased at a mean rate of 18 m3 s–1 decade–1 since 1970. At a synoptic scale, winter cyclone frequency and winter and spring blocking activity have decreased since the 1950s, which may partially explain the winter precipitation decline and the winter and spring temperature increases. These changes in synoptic systems are also in agreement with reported trends in the dominant variability modes of atmospheric circulation affecting NW Iberia, particularly a pronounced positive trend in the North Atlantic Oscillation from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Climate change affects ocean conditions, which will in turn impact marine organisms and ecosystems, with consequences for fisheries. The Iberian Peninsula has faced an increase in both air and sea surface temperature, and rainfall has decreased in intensity and frequency in Portugal. As Portugal is the third highest per capita consumer of fish in the world and its coast is located in a biogeographic transition zone, between temperate and subtropical waters, the study of the effects of climate change on Portuguese fisheries is of the utmost importance. The present work focused on Setúbal, an important fishing port in central Portugal. Landings Per Unit of Effort (LPUE) time series (1927–2012) of the most important species were analysed and their relationships with sea surface temperature (SST), rainfall and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index were investigated. Mean annual SST has increased 0.9 °C from 1926 to 2012. The main target species in 2012 were the same as in 1927. However, their landings have changed and have responded to changes in environmental variables, particularly SST. LPUE of the European sardine has shown a decreasing trend and was negatively correlated with SST and NAO, whereas the LPUE of the Atlantic chub mackerel has been increasing since 2000. The LPUE of the common cuttlefish has kept more or less stable through the studied time series, but it was correlated with SST. The LPUE of soles has increased with time and SST. The LPUE of the common octopus was correlated with SST and NAO and has presented higher values since 1975. Further increases in sea temperature in the future will pose challenges for fisheries in Setúbal. Purse-seine fisheries may try to compensate the expected losses in sardine landings by targeting the chub mackerel. Although landings of the most important species in multi-gear fisheries seem to have been favoured by increases in temperature, further studies on the tolerance of each particular species to increases in temperature are needed. As a recent increase in the relative importance of subtropical species in Portuguese fisheries has already been previously detected, climate change may also bring new fishing opportunities for this region.

Sea surface temperature (SST) variability was analyzed for the Bay of Biscay over the period 1982–2014 using data from NOAA 1/4 degree daily OI database. Trends were analyzed on a monthly scale since previous studies suggest that the rate of change was not homogeneous at annual and seasonal scales. The warming calculated for the whole area at the annual scale was 0.26 ± 0.03°C dec−1, although the intensity was observed to depend on themonth. Higher warming trends were detected from September to November and from April to June with values higher than 0.3°C dec−1, whilst lower SST trends were detected from January to March and from July to August with values below0.2°C dec−1.Warming ismainly due to the increase in the duration of thewarmseason (between 6 and 14 days dec−1)more than the milder winters or warmer summers. This fact ismainly responsible for the increase in the frequency of extreme hot SST days measured in spring (1.16 ± 0.23 days dec−1) and autumn (1.81±0.42 days dec−1). In contrast, trends observed during the warmestmonth (August), are characterized by an increase (~1.0 days dec−1) near shore and a decrease (~−1.0 days dec−1) in the oceanic part of the bay.

Coastal and oceanic sea surface temperature (SST) trends were analyzed in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem from the seventies on. Monthly SST data were obtained from the UK Meteorological Office, Hadley Center at two transects in front of the Namibia coast and the western coast of South Africa. A positive SST trend (0.06 °C dec−1) is observed at open sea locations and a negative one (−0.13 °C dec−1) near shore. The observed negative ΔSST (SSTcoast−SSTocean) trend (−0.18 °C dec−1) is linked to the strengthening of upwelling (87 m3 s−1 km−1 dec−1) during the same period. For this purpose, Ekman transport was directly obtained from the Pacific Fisheries Environmental Laboratory in the area under study and calculated from reanalysis wind data from NCEP/NCAR at six locations in front of the Namibia coast and the western coast of South Africa. This coastal upwelling enhancement is in good agreement with changes in the intensity and location of the South Atlantic High, which are also reflected in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index.

The spatial and temporal distribution of chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration was analysed along the Galician coast from 1998 to 2007. Sea surface temperature and Ekman transport data were also used to investigate the relationship between the ocean–atmosphere conditions and Chl a formation and variability. The west coast showed the highest Chl a concentration, with three peaks of maximum values (February, April–May, and July–September). Along the central coast, the pattern was similar, with the highest concentrations measured during spring and summer, but with lower values. The north coast was the least productive, with much lower values. The high seasonal variability of Chl a was mainly related to upwelling events during spring and summer. During autumn and winter, Chl a variations depended on other factors such as the input of nutrients from land run-off. There was no clear seasonal trend in Chl a.

Despite its worldwide distribution and vulnerable status, knowledge on the biology and ecology of the smooth hammerhead Sphyrna zygaena in the temperate NE Atlantic is very scarce. Here, we reveal intra-annual fluctuations in S. zygaena abundance in the Portuguese southwestern coast, using sightings data collected on board whale watching boats over five years (2010–14; excluding winter months). Moreover, we investigated how shark abundance is related to local environmental conditions. We describe the first smooth hammerhead “hotspot” in the NE Atlantic, and we show a recurrent pattern of occurrence during the warmer summer and autumn months (from July to October) near Sagres and Martinhal Bay and islands. Intra-annual variations in abundance were significantly associated with sea surface temperature and negatively related with upwelling index and chlorophyll a, suggesting horizontal movements linked to the seasonal changes. Hence, hammerheads moved inshore during the warmer periods (with low primary productivity), due to either direct influence of temperature in their movements or indirect influence in prey distribution. This hammerhead “hotspot” may constitute a nursery ground for S. zygaena, nevertheless, our data does not allow us to prove or refute such claim. Future telemetry-based studies should be conducted to fully understand hammerhead movements and habitat preferences, and to evaluate this “hotspot” as a critical habitat for this predator.

Patterns of interannual variation are described for an inshore fish assemblage off the Arrábida rocky coast (Portugal). During an 11 yr period, the fish assemblage showed pronounced changes especially within its tropical, warm-temperate and cold-temperate elements. These changes followed a fluctuating pattern connected with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) with a series of years where the modifications were slight, interspersed with years where faunal changes were very rapid, affecting up to 35% of the total number of species recorded in those years. After a transition year from a cold to a warm period or vice versa, the majority of the newcomers from the preceding phase were eliminated. Winter conditions, but not summer conditions, were good predictors of the observed patterns. Increases in sea surface temperature (SST) were associated with increases in the proportions of tropical and warm-temperate fish and with decreases in the proportion of cold-temperate elements, the reverse being true for decreases in SST. Interannual variation in faunal composition was not simply a consequence of changes in SST. Changes in other factors such as current flow direction and transport mechanisms, capable of bringing fishes from different biogeographical sources, may also play a role in the observed patterns. The influence of the NAO is therefore not only mediated by its effects on SST but also by the changes it induces in wind and current patterns along the Portuguese shore. Long-term trends caused by persistent changes, like those involving global warming, may be masked by the fact that at an intermediate time scale, faunal changes are characterised by a succession of oscillations rather than by a steady modification in a single direction. This outlines the importance of long-term monitoring data, since short-term studies may only capture single phases of a complex oscillation, giving a false picture of the overall pattern of change.

O vento na costa oeste da Península Ibérica, sobretudo no Verão, resulta do efeito do Anticiclone situado sobre os Açores e da depressão térmica no centro da Península. A persistência deste regime de ventos, tipicamente de Norte (normalmente designado por Nortada), induz a processos de afloramento costeiro caracterizados pela subida de água fria, rica em nutrientes, das camadas mais profundas do oceano para a superfície junto a costa. Em resposta, gera-se um aumento do contraste térmico junto a costa, entre a relativamente baixa temperatura da superfície da água do mar (TSAM) e as altas temperaturas que se fazem sentir em terra, traduzindo-se num aumento de gradiente horizontal de pressão, e consequentemente num aumento da intensidade do vento junto a costa. Este trabalho visa estudar a influência da variação da TSAM no vento costeiro, ao longo da costa oeste da Península Ibérica, testando diferentes processos de feedback associados. Os resultados obtidos baseiam-se na modelação numérica de um evento de vento forte durante o exercício combinado Swordfish 2016, através do modelo atmosférico de circulação regional WRF (Weather Regional Forecast) com prescrição de diferentes campos de TSAM. É ainda efetuada uma análise do impacto do vento resultante na condução das operações navais. Abstract: The characteristics of Summer western Iberia coastal winds are defined by the Azores high-pressure system and a thermal low pressure inland, in the center of Iberia. The persistence of these winds, often from north (therefore often called Nortada), induces upwelling processes along the coast. In such processes, deep cold nutrient-rich water rises to the surface, lowering sea surface temperature at the coast. As a consequence, the thermal contrast between the ocean surface and land increases, which lead to the sharpening of the cross coastal pressure gradient, further intensifying the coastal wind speeds. This study aims to explore the interplay of the sea surface temperature variations in the coastal winds characteristics, off western Iberia, testing the concept of a positive feedback between the upwelling system and coastal winds. The results shown on this study were obtained through a set of numerical simulations of a strong wind speed event that took place during the Swordfish 2016 exercise, where the different sea surface temperatures are used to force several WRF (Weather Regional Forecast) model simulations. An analysis of the impact of the wind, resulting from the different simulations, on the conduct of naval operations is also performed.