Data from: Krill hotspot formation and phenology in the California Current Ecosystem

In the California Current Ecosystem (CCE), krill represent a key link
between primary production and higher trophic level species owing to their
central position in the food web and tendency to form dense aggregations.
However, the strongly advective circulation associated with coastal
upwelling may spatiotemporally decouple the occurrence and persistence of
krill hotspots from phytoplankton biomass and nutrient sources. Results
from a physical-biological model provide insights into fundamental
mechanisms controlling the phenology of krill hotspots in the CCE and
their sensitivity to alongshore variations in primary production and ocean
currents. The model solution indicates that dynamics controlling krill
hotspot formation, intensity and persistence are strongly heterogeneous
and must be understood in the context of local alongshore variations in
coastal upwelling, modulated by regional circulation patterns.
Furthermore, the model suggests that regions promoting krill aggregations
in the CCE coincide with increased observed abundances of key marine
mammal and seabird species.