Seasonal total phytoplankton climatology of the Canadian Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone from BCCM model (1981-2010)

Description:
Seasonal mean total phytoplankton at the surface from the British Columbia continental margin model (BCCM) were averaged over the 1981 to 2010 period to create seasonal mean surface climatology of the Canadian Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone.

Methods:
Total phytoplankton is the sum of diatoms and flagellates concentration. Spring months were defined as April to June, summer months were defined as July to September, fall months were defined as October to December, and winter months were defined as January to March. The data available here contain a raster layer of seasonal surface phytoplankton climatology for the Canadian Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone at 3 km spatial resolution.

Uncertainties:
Model results have been extensively evaluated against observations (e.g. altimetry, CTD and nutrient profiles, observed geostrophic currents), which showed the model can reproduce with reasonable accuracy the main oceanographic features of the region including salient features of the seasonal cycle and the vertical and cross-shore gradient of water properties. However, the model resolution is too coarse to allow for an adequate representation of inlets, nearshore areas, and the Strait of Georgia.