Abstract

It is generally accepted that rising earth temperatures are producing large swings in ocean/atmosphere dynamics, often with unexpected results in the biosphere. The recent bloom‘ of pelagic sargassum in the Caribbean and off West Africa is an example. Ocean waters which form the fishery important habitats of the Inter-American Seas come principally from Atlantic equatorial currents together with currents associated with the north Atlantic gyre. Initially, it was expected that large quantities of sargassum from the Sargasso Sea, where it is commonly found in large mats, were involved in Caribbean and African stranding. However, it now seems clear that blooming took place in the Atlantic Equatorial Current systems, where it is commonly found in smaller quantities, but where enhanced growth and consolidation is taking place. Iron rich African dust and nutrients from West African and equatorial upwelling along with outflow of the Congo, Amazon, Orinoco, and other rivers contribute significantly to marine plant growth in the equatorial Atlantic. Adversely, however, African dust has also been linked to the decline of coral reefs through the introduction of anthropo-genic pollutants as well as pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we examine the coupled dynamics of the north Atlantic atmospheric/oceanic systems along with forcing mechanisms and climate indices which describe variations over time. We examine some aspects of fisheries than can be affected by these variations.

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