Ocean's largest chlorophyll-rich tongue is extending westward (2002-2022).

ABSTRACT: Upwelling in the Equatorial Pacific nurtures an expansive, westward-stretching chlorophyll-rich tongue (CRT), supporting 18% of the annual global new production. Surrounding the CRT are the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north and south, which are suggested to be expanding under global warming. Yet, how this productive CRT has changed, expanding or contracting, remains unknown. By applying the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method to 20-year monthly measurements of chlorophyll-a concentration from MODIS-Aqua satellite (2002-2022), we demonstrate that the CRT exhibited a significant westward extension, at an average expanding rate of 1.87 ( ± 0.82) × 10⁵ km²/yr. The westward extension of the CRT is attributed to strengthened equatorial upwelling and a streng

SUBMITTER: Peng S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11696694 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature