Changes in coastal upwelling strength have been widely studied since 1990 when Bakun
proposed that global warming can induce the intensification of upwelling in coastal
areas. Whether present wind trends support this hypothesis remains controversial, as
results of previous studies seem to depend on the study area, the length of the time
series, the season, and even the database used. In this study, temporal and spatial
trends in the coastal upwelling regime worldwide were investigated during upwelling
seasons from 1982 to 2010 using a single wind database (Climate Forecast System
Reanalysis) with high spatial resolution (0.3°). Of the major upwelling
systems, increasing trends were only observed in the coastal areas of Benguela,
Peru, Canary, and northern California. A tendency for an increase in
upwelling-favourable winds was also identified along several less studied regions,
such as the western Australian and southern Caribbean coasts.
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