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Email the author (Login required) Zooplankton biomass in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico and the southern Gulf of California during the strong El Niño event of 2023-2024
Submited: 2025-04-21 11:36:23 | Published: 2025-10-31 20:21:55
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol53-issue5-fulltext-3432
Abstract
Over the past five years, significant changes have occurred in Earth's climate system. For example, from mid-2020 to early 2023, a strong La Niña event took place, which quickly transitioned into an intense El Niño that lasted until the first four months of 2024. The consequences of this phenomenon are still being studied. This study reports on zooplankton biomass values in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico (POM) and the southern Gulf of California (SGC) during the strong El Niño 2023-2024, using both in situ and satellite data. Satellite observations revealed a warm water pool in the POM, which was associated with low chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations. As a result, zooplankton biomass values in this region were extremely low. In contrast, the SGC experienced slightly elevated sea surface temperatures and higher Chl-a concentrations, leading to zooplankton biomass reaching its highest values.
