Daily Anomalies and High Productivity Zone Mask for Northern Peruvian Coastal Marine Ecosystem during the 2017 Coastal El Niño (December 2016 - May 2017)

This dataset is part of the manuscript entitled "Chlorophyll Response and High Productivity Zone Contraction in Northern Perú During the 2017 Coastal El Niño."

The dataset is designed to assess the atmospheric and oceanographic drivers of productivity changes during the 2017 Coastal El Niño. It allows detailed analysis of the interactions between physical processes (e.g., wind-driven upwelling rates, heat flux changes) and biological responses (e.g., chlorophyll concentration variations) in a region highly susceptible to ENSO-related variability. This comprehensive dataset provides valuable insight into the physical-biological coupling and the impacts of rapid climate events on marine ecosystems. The dataset, covering the period from December 1, 2016, to May 31, 2017, includes:

1. Chlorophyll-a  Anomalies (chla): Represents deviations in surface chlorophyll concentrations, a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, highlighting variations in primary productivity during the event.

2. Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (sst): Captures changes in sea surface temperatures relative to the climatological mean, providing insight into the warming pattern typical of marine heatwaves associated with the Coastal El Niño.

3. Sea Level Anomaly (sla): Indicates changes in sea surface height, which reflects thermal expansion of water masses and potential contributions from coastal trapped waves propagating along the Peruvian coast.

4. Wind Component Anomalies (u,v): Daily anomalies for both zonal (east-west) and meridional (north-south) wind components, which are critical for understanding changes in wind patterns including upwelling and Ekman transport processes.

5. Ekman Pumping Anomalies (w): Represents variations in vertical water movement forced by wind stress curl, highlighting the suppression or enhancement of upwelling during the event.

6. Latent Heat Flux Anomalies (lathf): Indicates deviations in heat loss from the ocean surface due to evaporation, affecting surface temperature regulation.

7. Shortwave Radiation Anomalies (swrad): Shows changes in solar radiation (and also a proxy for PAR) reaching the ocean surface, influencing upper ocean heat content and the light availability for phytoplankton.

8. High Productivity Zone (mask): A binary mask with daily values of 1 indicating areas meeting the HPZ criterion and 0 otherwise, allowing for spatial tracking of the HPZ's extent during the period of study.