Southern California Rain

[PhilLJCA]

Ok heres a question for those of you who know more about marine biology that i do. What, if any, effect will the torrential rains weve been having in California have on bluewater spearfishing over the next few months? Heres a couple of possibilities ive amateurishly played with.

1.) water temperatures have stayed about 2-2.5 degrees higher throughout the winter in sd (as a result of the tropical weather fronts) than the yearly average, it looks like seasonal fish may arrive early (yellowtail have been observed further north in baja than usual this year)

2.) could all this rain flush too much nitrogenous and phosphorus fertilizer and other plant stimulating chemicals into the offshore environment causing an explosion in green life (more kelp???? more nasty green algae???)

3.) could a spike in other terrestrial minerals stimulate the marine food chain?

4.) how likely is it that any of this will matter? (a big current could sweep it all away???)

 

[quasimoto]

the only thing i can think of is bad visibility due to all the run off because of the runoff itself and also the fertilizer stuff could cause a red tide, which would turn the visibility to crap. But, im not sure if either would really matter, ive never been out far enough during a red tide or right after rains to see how the visibility is.
hope that helps

 

[Oldsarge]

I've been told that the red tide only affects the top couple of feet of water. Underneath it can be really clear. Oddly, some of the best shore fishing in my life has been during a red tide. I'ma no unnerstan'!

 

[Huan]

Funny I was discussing the topic of Nitrates and the effect on seaweed growth with a friend last year, Mainly because Ireland gets a little more rain than SoCal in any given year.
As you may or may not know there is an EU directive called the nitrates directive which has been coming into force for some time now , basically the directive is to try and reduce the level of nitrates that enter the environment through runoff.
These affect mostly streams and so forth and usually end up choking the streams in a lush green growth of weed.
I came to the conclusion that even in areas with relatively high freshwater runoff the growth of marine seaweeds isn't that much higher than areas with little or no freshwater runoff.
As to whether it causes red tides I have no idea.
sure sounds like a bummer though!!

 

[Oldsarge]

Nitrate runoff is a serious problem in bodies of fresh water and it doesn't matter whether the source of the nitorgen is synthetic or "organic" manure. However, the ocean is so large that I suspect natural upwellings of nitrogen rich bottom water are more likely to affect the surface bloom than runoff. Just my opinion, of course.