The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) Mooring Array

Collaborators: U. Send, M. Ohman, D. Demer, J. Renfree, A. Sutton, T. Martz
Participating institutions: SIO, NOAA SWFSC, NOAA PMEL

Introduction

The objectives of the CCE mooring array are to resolve event-scale ocean phenomena and to understand linkages between changes in the physical-chemical environment and the responses of ocean biota, including the ocean carbon system with respect to anthropogenic climate change, from the open ocean all the way to nearshore.

This multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary effort merges and leverages several projects and funding sources, to operate four surface moorings in the California Current: CCE1, CCE2, CCE3, and CCE4 (see Acknowledgements below). CCE1 is located 220 km offshore of Point Conception in the core of the California Current; CCE2 is positioned closer to shore on the shelf break, where localized upwelling processes are enhanced; and CCE3 and CCE4 are located on the shelf. Each mooring carries a sensor suite, and several of them include biological, chemical, and physical oceanography as well as meteorological observations.

Embedded in, and coordinated with other projects, such as CalCOFI, the CCE-LTER, and the California Underwater Glider Network (CUGN), these platforms comprise a powerful ocean observing network off Southern California that is both scientifically interesting, and economically and socially relevant.

CCE1, CCE2, CCE3, and CCE4 mooring locations

Deployment Data

Each mooring telemeters a subset of its data to shore in real time. Telemetered data from current and prior deployments are available via the table below. Complete, quality-controlled, processed data sets are generated following the buoy's recovery, and are disseminated by the international OceanSITES program. These quality-controlled data sets can be accessed via the OceanSITES Global Data Assembly Center THREDDS server [CCE1 | CCE2 | CCE3 and CCE4 forthcoming ].
For data-related questions, please contact: jsevadjian@ucsd.edu

Publications

  • Baumann-Pickering, S., Sirovic, A., Bograd, S.J., Lankhorst, M., Trickey, J.S., Rice, A., Renfree, J., Demer, D., Schroeder, I.D., and Send, U. (submitted), Water-mass variability links predator-prey dynamics from surface waters to the deep ocean. PNAS.
  • Song, R., DeVries, T., Li, R., Sutton, A., Send, U., and Frazão, H. C. (2025), High-frequency correlations between winds and pCO2 change the California coastal upwelling system from a CO2 sink to a source. Geophysical Research Letters, 52, e2025GL115470, doi: 10.1029/2025GL115470.
  • Frazão, H. C., Send, U., Sutton, A. J., Ohman, M. D., Lankhorst, M., Martz, T. R., and Sevadjian, J. (2025), Open ocean versus upwelling regimes: Air-sea CO2 fluxes and pCO2 inter-annual variability in the Southern California Current System. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 130, e2024JC022126, doi: 10.1029/2024JC022126.
  • Damien, P., Bianchi, D., Kessouri, F., and McWilliams, J. C. (2024), Extremes and short term fluctuations in coastal ocean acidification and hypoxia. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129, e2024JC021197, doi: 10.1029/2024JC021197.
  • Gregor, L., Shutler, J., and Gruber, N. (2024), High-Resolution Variability of the Ocean Carbon Sink. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 38, e2024GB008127, doi: 10.1029/2024GB008127.
  • Olson, E. M. B., John, J. G., Dunne, J. P., Stock, C., Drenkard, E. J., and Sutton, A. J. (2024), Site-Specific Multiple Stressor Assessments Based on High Frequency Surface Observations and an Earth System Model. Earth and Space Science, 11, e2023EA003357, doi: 10.1029/2023EA003357.
  • Kennedy, E.G., Zulian, M., Hamilton, S.L., Hill, T.M., Delgado, M., Fish, C.R., Gaylord, B., Kroeker, K.J., Palmer, H.M., Ricart, A.M., Sanford, E., Spalding, A.K., Ward, M., Carrasco, F., Elliott, M., Grisby, G.V., Harris, E., Jahncke, J., Rocheleau, C.N., Westerink, S., and Wilmot, M.I. (2024), A high-resolution synthesis dataset for multistressor analyses along the US West Coast. Earth System Science Data, 16, 219-243, doi: 10.5194/essd-16-219-2024.
  • Sharp, J. D., Jiang, L.-Q., Carter, B. R., Lavin, P. D., Yoo, H. and Cross, S. L. (2024), A mapped dataset of surface ocean acidification indicators in large marine ecosystems of the United States. Scientific Data, 11, 715, doi: 10.1038/s41597-024-03530-7.
  • Kennedy, E. G. (2024), Mapping the Complexities and Uncertainties of Interactions Between Coastal Species and Climate Stress. PhD Thesis, University of California, Davis. 212 pp.
  • Chau, T.-T.-T, Gehlen, M., Metzl, N. and Chevallier, F. (2024), CMEMS-LSCE: a global, 0.25°, monthly reconstruction of the surface ocean carbonate system. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 121–160, doi: 10.5194/essd-16-121-2024.
  • Siyanbola, O. Q., Buijsman, M. C., Delpech, A., Renault, L., Barkan, R., Shriver, J F., Arabic, B. K., McWilliams, J. C. (2023), Remote internal wave forcing of regional ocean simulations near the U.S. West Coast. Ocean Modelling, 181, 102154, doi: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2022.102154.
  • Sutton, A., J., Sabine, C. L. (2023), Emerging applications of longstanding autonomous ocean carbon observations. Oceanography, 36, 148-155, doi: 10.5670/oceanog.2023.209.
  • Sharp, J.D., Fassbender, A. J., Carter, B.R., Lavin, P.D., Sutton, A.J. (2022), A monthly pCO2 product for the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2081-2108, doi: 10.5194/essd-14-2081-2022.
  • Desmet, F., Gruber, N., Köhn, E. E., Münnich, M., & Vogt, M. (2022). Tracking the space-time evolution of ocean acidification extremes in the California current system and northeast Pacific. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 127, e2021JC018159, doi: 10.1029/2021JC018159.
  • Frouin, R., Tan, J., Compiègne, M., Ramon, D., Sutton, M., Murakami, H, Antoine, D., Send, U., Sevadjian, J., Vellucci, V. (2022), The NASA EPIC/DSCOVR Ocean PAR Product. Frontiers in Remote Sensing. 3:833340. doi: 10.3389/frsen.2022.833340.
  • Lilly, L.E. (2021), Responses of the Southern California Current System Zooplankton Community to El Niño Variability. PhD Thesis, University of California, San Diego.
  • Taylor-Burns R., Cochran C., Ferron K., Harris, M., Thomas, C., Fredston, A., Kendall, B.E. (2020), Locating gaps in the California Current System ocean acidification monitoring network. Science Progress.103(3), doi: 10.1177/0036850420936204.
  • Mazloff, M. R., Cornuelle, B., Gille, S. T., Wang, J. (2020), The importance of remote forcing for regional modeling of internal waves. Journal of Geophysical Research:Oceans,125, e2019JC015623. doi: 10.1029/2019JC015623.
  • Archer, M. R., Li, Z., Fu, L.‐L. (2020), Increasing the space–time resolution of mapped sea surface height from altimetry. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans,124, e2019JC015878. doi: 10.1029/2019JC015878.
  • Tan, J., Frouin, R., Jolivet, D., Compiègne, M., Ramon, D. (2020), Evaluation of the NASA OBPG MERIS ocean surface PAR product in clear sky conditions. Optics Express 28, 33157-33175. doi: 10.1364/OE.396066.
  • Chen, S. and Hu, C. (2019), Environmental controls of surface water pCO2 in different coastal environments: Observations from marine buoys. Continental Shelf Research 183, 73-86, doi: 10.1016/j.csr.2019.06.007.
  • Lilly, L. E., Send, U., Lankhorst, M., Martz, T. R., Feely, R. A., Sutton, A. J., & Ohman, M. D. (2019). Biogeochemical anomalies at two southern California Current System moorings during the 2014–2016 Warm Anomaly‐El Niño sequence. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124, 6886– 6903. doi: 10.1029/2019JC015255.
  • Sutton, A. J., Feely, R. A., Maenner-Jones, S., Musielwicz, S., Osborne, J., Dietrich, C., Monacci, N., Cross, J., Bott, R., Kozyr, A., Andersson, A. J., Bates, N. R., Cai, W., Cronin, M. F., De Carlo, E. H., Hales, B., Howden, S. D., Lee, C. M., Manzello, D. P., McPhaden, M. J., Meléndez, M., Mickett, J. B., Newton, J. A., Noakes, S. E., Noh, J. H., Olafsdottir, S. R., Salisbury, J. E., Send, U., Trull, T. W., Vandemark, D. C., Weller, R. A. (2019), Autonomous Seawater pCO2 and pH Time Series From 40 Surface Buoys and the Emergence of Anthropogenic Trends. Earth System Science Data, 421-439. Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/16242.
  • Ramon, D., Jolivet, D., Tan, J., Frouin, R., Wilson, S. (2016), Estimating photosynthetically available radiation at the ocean surface for primary production (3P Project): modeling, evaluation, and application to global MERIS imagery. Remote Sensing of the Oceans and Inland Waters: Techniques, Applications, and Challenges. Vol. 9878. SPIE. doi: 10.1117/12.2229892.
  • Reum, J. C. P., Alin, S.R., Harvey, C.J., Bednarsˇek, N., Evans, W., Feely, R.A., Hales, B., Lucey, N., Mathis, J. T., McElhany, P., Newton, J., Sabine, C. L. (2016), Interpretation and design of ocean acidification experiments in upwelling systems in the context of carbonate chemistry co-variation with temperature and oxygen. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 73(3), 582-595, doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsu231.
  • Risien, C. M., Strub, P.T. (2016), Blended sea level anomaly fields with enhanced coastal coverage along the U.S. West Coast. Scientific Data, 3:160013. doi: 10.1038/sdata.2016.13.
  • Wilson, S. J. (2016), Studies of Chlorophyll Dynamics using Moorend Irradiance Sensor. PhD Thesis, University of California, San Diego.
  • Sutton, A.J., Sabine, C. L., Feely, R. A., Cai, W.-J., Cronin, M.F., McPhaden, M. J., Morell, J. M., Newton, J. A., Noh, J.-H., Ólafsdóttir, R., Salisbury, J. E., Send, U., Vandemark, D. C., Weller, R. A. (2016), Using present-day observations to detect when anthropogenic change forces surface ocean carbonate chemistry outside preindustrial bounds. Biogeosciences, 13, 5065-5083. doi: 10.5194/bg-13-5065-2016.
  • Goericke, R., and M. Ohman (2015), Introduction to CCE-LTER: Responses of the California Current Ecosystem to climate forcing. Deep Sea Res. II. 112: 1-5, doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.12.001.
  • Martz, T., U. Send, M. D. Ohman, Y. Takeshita, P. Bresnahan, H.-J. Kim, S.H. Nam (2014), Dynamic variability of biogeochemical ratios in the Southern California Current System. Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 2496–2501, doi: 10.1002/2014GL059332.
  • Lankhorst, M., Chavez, G., Nam, S.H., Send, U. (2014), Technical Note: How long can seawater oxygen samples be stored before titration?, Ocean Science Discussions, vol. 11, pp. 2447-2459. doi: 10.5194/osd-11-2447-2014.
  • Bresnahan Jr., P.J., Martz, T.R., Takeshita, Y., Johnson, K.S., LaShomb, M. (2014), Best practices for autonomous measurement of seawater pH with the Honeywell Durafet. Methods in Oceanography, Vol. 9, 44-60, 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.mio.2014.08.003.
  • Ohman, M.D., Rudnick, D.L., Chekalyuk, A., Davis, R.E., Feely, R.A. Kahru, M., Kim, H.-J., Landry, M.R., Martz, T.R., Sabine, C.L., Send, U. (2013), Autonomous ocean measurements in the California Current Ecosystem. Oceanography 26(3):18–25, doi: 10.5670/oceanog.2013.41.
  • Hoffmann, G. E., Smith, J. E., Johnson, K. S., Send, U., Levin, L. A., Micheli, F., Paytan, A., Price, N. N., Peterson, B., Takeshita, Y., Matson, P. G., Crook, E. D., Kroeker, K. J., Gambi, M. C., Rivest, E. B., Frieder, C. A., Yu, P. C., Martz, T. R. (2011), High-Frequency Dynamics of Ocean pH: A Multi-Ecosystem Comparison. Plos One, 6(12): e28983, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028983.

Published Datasets

    Note: CCE is part of the international OceanSITES program. Complete, quality-controlled, processed data sets are made available via the OceanSITES Global Data Assembly Center public THREDDS catalog [see 'CCE1' and 'CCE2' directories].

  • Send, Uwe; Ohman, Mark D.; Lankhorst, Matthias; Frazão, Helena; Sevadjian, Jeffrey (2026): Discrete, profile measurements of pH, total alkalinity (TA), water temperature, salinity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a and phaeopigment made from various ships for calibration and validation of California Current Ecosystem (CCE) mooring timeseries in the U.S. West Coast, North Pacific Ocean from 2022-10-26 to 2025-03-15 (NCEI Accession 0311406). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/0pr1-jz82.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Frazão, Helena; Send, Uwe (2025). Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from research vessel Sally Ride in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2025-03-09 to 2025-03-15 (NCEI Accession 0309629). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Frazão, Helena; Send, Uwe (2024): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from the research vessel Sally Ride in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2023-07-23 to 2023-07-29 (NCEI Accession 0289346). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/maaq-ew80.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Send, Uwe (2024): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2022-10-25 to 2022-10-28 (NCEI Accession 0289345). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/534w-w147.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Send, Uwe; Sevadjian, Jeff (2022): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2021-06-13 to 2021-06-18 (NCEI Accession 0251388). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/j4dc-4s82.
  • Send, Uwe; Ohman, Mark; Lankhorst, Matthias; Sevadjian, Jeff (2022): Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA), temperature, salinity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a and phaeo pigment measured by discrete water samples and CTD for calibration and validation of California Current Ecosystem (CCE) mooring timeseries from 2015-11-17 to 2021-06-18 (NCEI Accession 0249587). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/35v7-2d22.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2021): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from research vessel Sikuliaq, cruise SKQ201606S, in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2016-05-16 to 2016-05-17 (NCEI Accession 0233567). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/1b9s-q536.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2021): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker, cruise RL-20-02, in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2020-09-07 to 2020-09-10 (NCEI Accession 0231663). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/2ncy-c770.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2021): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from research vessel Sikuliaq, cruise SKQ201912S, in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2019-05-06 to 2019-05-12 (NCEI Accession 0232037). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/yhj5-yy74.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2021): Water temperature, salinity, and other parameters collected by CTD from research vessel Oceanus in the north Pacific Ocean off California from 2015-11-17 to 2015-11-20 (NCEI Accession 0234440). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/fb7p-pd85.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2019): Water temperature, salinity, and other data collected by CTD and water samples from the research vessel Sikuliaq, cruise SKQ201806S, in the northeastern Pacific off California 2018-03-13 2018-03-16 (NCEI Accession 0184854). Version 1.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/8rpz-nx82.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2019): CTD Data from Research Vessel Sally Ride, cruises SR1706 and SR1707, offshore California 05-11 March 2017 (NCEI Accession 0187860). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/8q0a-xx91.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2019): CTD Data from Research Vessel Bell M. Shimada, cruise SH-18-13, off California during 12-16 November 2018 (NCEI Accession 0187862). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.25921/bkgs-7a08.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2018): Water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen profiles, and other data from CTD taken from the research vessel Bell M. Shimada, cruise SH-17-10, in the Northeast Pacific Ocean from 2017-11-01 to 2017-11-07 (NCEI Accession 0182942). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Unpublished Dataset.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2017): CTD Data from Research Vessel New Horizon in the NE Pacific, 24 April - 01 May 2014 (NCEI Accession 0157699). Version 1.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.7289/V5J38QMW.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Lowcher, Caroline; Send, Uwe (2017): CTD Data from NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker in the NE Pacific, 06-12 2016-10 (NCEI Accession 0157761). Version 1.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.7289/V5DB7ZW5.
  • Send, Uwe; Ohman, Mark; Lankhorst, Matthias; and Kim, Hey-Jin (2016): Dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, nutrients, and other variables collected from profile and discrete observations using CTD, Niskin bottle, and other instruments from R/V New Horizon and R/V Robert Gordon Sproul in the U.S. West Coast for calibration and validation of California Current Ecosystem (CCE) Moorings from 2009-12-15 to 2015-04-29 (NCEI Accession 0146024). Version 2.2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.7289/V57D2S6C.
  • Lankhorst, Matthias; Send, Uwe (2016): CTD Data from Research Vessel New Horizon in the NE Pacific, 15-20 December 2009 (NCEI Accession 0156689). Version 1.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. doi: 10.7289/V53J3B0T.

Acknowledgements

CCE2 and CCE3 are part of the CCE Moorings Project funded by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program and NOAA GOMO. CCE1 is provided by PMEL and assembled/deployed by SIO, under funding from NOAA GOMO. CCE4 is part of the NOAA GOMO-funded COORC project. Support, especially ship time, also comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the CCE-LTER program. Additional contributions come from the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) and from other SIO collaborators.

The initial year of the CCE project also received support from the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the UCSD Academic Senate and UC Ship Funds.
Data disclaimer: All data shown here are provided without warranty, express or implied.
Last Modified: 2026-04-16

Data/Website inquiries: jsevadjian@ucsd.edu