A combination of basin and regional scale indicators used to inform the seasonal development and variability of coastal upwelling, particularly in the spring. For example, the winter North Pacific High (NPH) monitors the area and intensity of atmospheric pressure, indicating whether strong upwelling conditions and krill populations are likely in the spring.
A spatial time series that tracks the area of coastal upwelling habitat, the Habitat Compression Index (HCI) is a regional indicator used to assess the likelihood of ecosystem shifts and shoreward distribution patterns of top marine predators like whales. Smaller values indicate periods when cool habitat is compressed onshore, heightening whale entanglement risk. Monthly HCI values are provided for the following latitude ranges:
