One of the first peregrine falcon eyries I watched was at Diablo Canyon on the central coast of California. I sat on the southern point of Diablo Cove adjacent to the massive nuclear reactor and stared northwest over the water to Diablo Rock just offshore. I had no shelter, so I sat nestled among the stunted, prostrate forms of the coastal buckwheat, golden yarrow, and deerweed. Dressed in my long johns, down jacket, beanie, and gloves, the cold April winds raked across me and made me one with the vegetation. By the end of the day, the salty sea air coated my sunglasses, scope, and binoculars and I’d feel fine particles of sand and grit along my face. The falcons were smart, they nested on the warm, sheltered, south-east side of the rock.
Late in the afternoon, driving home through Avila Beach I’d see all the folks lying out on the beach in their swim trunks and bikinis. Such a contrast, but a perfect illustration of the various microclimates we have here in our little slice of paradise.
The winds off the ocean in the springtime can get so annoying when they persist for days on end, especially if you want to surf or recreate on the water! But these winds are an integral part of the shape and productivity of so many of our central coast ecosystems.
In Los Osos and other areas along the windward, northwest-facing coasts, the wind is responsible for the structure of the oaks, cypresses, and other trees that live there. Traditionally, around the end of March, our live oaks, and other trees, undergo bud burst. Tender new shoots of leaves sprout forth on the tips of branches only to be blasted by the salty air and grit picked up by the NW gales off the ocean. The Elfin Forest is a perfect example of what happens to these oaks. They end up stunted and twisted, growing long, rather than tall.
Another example of this effect which, ecologists call Krummholz (German: krumm, "crooked, bent, twisted" and Holz, "wood") can be found on many forested northwest-facing points of land along the coast. For example the eucalyptus on your walk out to Hazzard Reef in Montana de Oro State Park, or with the Monterey Cypresses at San Simeon Point. The northwest-facing side of San Simeon Point is a hedge of twisted trees while the wind-sheltered side houses taller more stately specimens.
The wind also plays a huge factor in the productivity of our ocean along the coast. Due to the Coriolis effect, when the wind blows along our coastline it causes the water at the ocean surface to move at about a 90-degree angle from the wind direction. Along our coast that shoves the surface water offshore. Taking its place, the water rises from deeper in the ocean in an important process called “upwelling”.
The water that moves up to the surface is usually cold and rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which come from the decomposing bodies of dead sea creatures. These extra nutrients are essential for phytoplankton populations (tiny plants) that float near the surface of the ocean. Then, zooplankton (tiny floating animals) numbers can explode with the abundant food as they eat the phytoplankton. Next, fish, like schools of anchovies come in to eat the zooplankton; following them come the seals, sea lions, pelicans, cormorants, and eventually humpback whales.
All over the world, these upwelling zones can be incredibly rich with marine life, and about half of the fish caught in fisheries come from upwelling areas.
And it all starts with those annoying spring winds. So, let’s try not to get too irritated with them, they’re part of what makes this place so special. We just need to be flexible like the trees, or maybe we should just enjoy flying kites.
Great writing