Average is good.
SURF:
Nothing spectacular this week but plenty fun.
FORECAST:
Nothing impressive on the charts but we did have a little storm in the southern hemisphere pull together a couple days ago and we should get some chest high sets late Sunday into Monday. The OC should have consistent chest high sets but that's about it.
WEATHER:
The weather is in limbo this weekend. Low clouds should break up by lunch and we've got a little tropical wave moving through tomorrow and Saturday. After that it's back to low clouds in the night and mornings. Models then show high pressure building over the 4 corner states the middle of next week and we'll get a little heat wave with temps in the deserts around 115 and the mid-80's here. Just need some surf to make it a combo!
BEST BET:
Tough call- dying surf tomorrow or a little bump in the SW on Monday. Not too thrilled with either.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
If you saw last week’s THE Surf Report, you may remember the story about the anchovies migrating into La Jolla, possibly due to the warm water from El Nino. Seems to happen every 15 or so years when we have the larger than normal El Ninos- we get unique fish to our area. But what will happen if global warming keeps on pace and our ocean warms to unseen levels? Well, the migration of tropical fish as a result of ocean warming will pose a serious threat to the temperate areas they invade, because they like to overgraze on kelp forests and seagrass a new study concludes. And who just happens to have a TON of kelp and seagrass? North County San Diego of course. The harmful impact of tropical fish is most evident in southern Japanese waters and the eastern Mediterranean, where there have been dramatic declines in kelps. There is also emerging evidence in Australia and the US that the spread of tropical fish towards the poles is causing damage in the areas they enter. "The tropicalisation of temperate marine areas is a new phenomenon of global significance that has arisen because of climate change," says study lead author, Dr Adriana Verges, of UNSW Australia. "Increases in the number of plant-eating tropical fish can profoundly alter ecosystems and lead to barren reefs, affecting the biodiversity of these regions, with significant economic and management impacts." And in our case- more blown out days in the surf if the kelp is missing. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. As the oceans have warmed and the climate has changed, hotspots are developing in regions where the currents that transport warm tropical waters towards the poles are strengthening. Increased flow of the East Australian Current, for example, has meant waters south-east of the continent are warming at two to three times the global average. Tropical fish are now common in Sydney Harbor during the summer months. Japan, the east coast of the US, northern Brazil and south eastern Africa are also strongly influenced by coastal currents that transport warm tropical waters. "In tropical regions, a wide diversity of plant-eating fish perform the vital role of keeping reefs free of large seaweeds, allowing corals to flourish. But when they intrude into temperate waters they pose a significant threat to these habitats. They can directly overgraze algal forests as well as prevent the recovery of algae that have been damaged for other reasons," says Dr Verges. Tropical fish expanding their ranges into temperate areas include unicornfish, parrotfish, and rabbitfish. The study authors include researchers from Australia, the US, Spain, Singapore, the UK and Japan. So far we’ve seen:
Southern Japan:
More than 40% of the kelp and algal beds have disappeared since the 1990s, a phenomenon known in Japan as isoyake. Tropical species including rabbitfish and parrotfish appear to be mainly responsible. Although these fish have been present for a long time, their annual grazing rates have increased dramatically as ocean temperatures in winter have risen. Corals now dominate the ecosystem in many locations. The changes have led to the collapse of the abalone fishery.
Eastern Mediterranean:
Tropical fish moved into the eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea after the opening of the Suez Canal. In recent decades, rabbitfish numbers have increased, resulting in hundreds of kilometres of deforested areas and a 40% decrease in the variety of marine species. As the Mediterranean warms, the rabbitfish are expanding their range westward, putting other shallow ecosystems at risk.
US:
There has been a more than 20-fold increase in the number of parrotfish in the Gulf of Mexico -- a species which consumes seagrass at five times the rate of native grazers. The number of plant-eating green turtles and manatees has also increased.
Australia:
In Western Australia, emerging evidence suggests that increases in the number of tropical fish are preventing the recovery of kelp forest damaged by a heat wave in 2011. In eastern Australia, kelp has disappeared from numerous reefs in the past 5 years and Dr Verges' research suggests intense grazing by tropical fish on the kelp preceded this.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
You know what's great about Canada? Besides Keanu Reeves, Pamela Anderson, Celine Dion, and Bryan Adams? Actually, nothing is great about that group. But besides them, the surf is the real star. The west coast has all kinds of nooks and crannies with amazing waves just waiting to be discovered. If you don't mind dodging Orcas in the line-up and bears on the beach. The east coast on the other hand has point after point after point that will zap your legs of energy after one 1/4 mile wave. Not in the winter time though as there's snow on the beach, 40 degree water temps, and hurricane force winds blowing from the arctic circle. On 2nd thought, Canada isn't that great. The Pic of the Week is just a mirage.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Ringleader
So Fresh, So Clean
Building a 2.5 Mile Chicama Wavepool Replica With Kickstarter
