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Ocean Conditions Indicators Trends

Our stoplight table provides an overview of ocean indicators over time.

The following stoplight table presents a number of climate and atmospheric, local physical, and local biological indicators used to characterize the ocean conditions that may affect the growth and survival of juvenile salmon in the northern California Current. The table compares data across all years sampled, and each indicator is ranked and color-coded based on whether they are “good”, “bad," or “neutral” for juvenile salmon growth and survival.

Stoplight Table 

Ocean conditions trends across all physical and biological indicators from 1998 to 2025

Stoplight Table with Rankings

This table shows the years ranked low to high (numbers) based on whether ocean conditions are favorable or unfavorable for juvenile salmon survival.

Stoplight table showing rankings across physical and biological indicators from 1998 to 2025.

Raw Data

Download the raw data file (.csv) or view below.

Ecosystem Indicators1998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
PDO
(Sum Dec-March)
7.29-1.75-3.891.94-1.077.260.581.231.81-0.47-3.46-5.262.4-4.72-5.65-3.16-1.196.926.182.790.240.18-2.67-3.21-6.79-5.62-3.08-3.57
PDO
(Sum May-Sept)
-0.8-6.79-3.64-4.58-0.942.541.181.930.641.63-5.89-0.19-4.05-6.95-7.58-42.895.963.311.66-0.512.11-3.33-6.52-9.12-9.25-11.05-11.75
ONI
(Average Jan-June)
1.116667-1.06667-1.06667-0.40.1833330.2666670.20.466667-0.30.083333-0.98333-0.233330.55-0.71667-0.43333-0.3-0.283330.6666671.2166670.133333-0.450.7166670.283333-0.71667-0.983330.050.95-0.25
SST NDBC buoys 
(°C; May-Sept)
13.7686713.2041813.327912.9767713.0466113.5611514.6784913.5822612.7294213.6409812.4457413.4421312.755613.2413213.3340913.7151214.0281913.8948513.8253513.5669213.7075114.6772913.400812.950413.7285713.6370613.5327512.94269
Upper 20 m T
(°C; Nov-Mar)
12.1862810.8494210.091410.0475710.082110.7719810.8923710.6306210.609469.8966429.22855210.046311.0126210.071189.41547210.018559.51812812.8552711.747110.9667110.5367210.838369.50457610.057610.394669.91532311.5624110.32114
Upper 20 m T
(°C; May-Sept)
10.4035810.067710.155719.7643078.9710859.62127411.180910.72939.97228610.066859.2983679.89644710.372979.9792769.91692110.4856411.067410.2132410.127410.226410.421811.4772610.866269.66608810.849819.78984810.1272110.17143
Deep temperature
(°C; May-Sept)
8.6135927.6278757.7416337.5577187.4547547.8091777.8504557.9691227.8333917.5753657.476177.7338957.840957.8045617.557327.8829988.4262488.1438297.8765838.0662288.104728.0442078.675767.499568.15588.1415897.746367.90747
Deep salinity
(May-Sept)
33.5363733.8574233.7818433.855233.8524633.6838733.6778333.7722733.8480233.8787533.8670633.7198533.6292733.7547833.7500233.7698133.5274433.7132833.8278733.8458633.8501233.789133.5442233.8982833.6166933.7127133.6386533.84627
Copepod richness anom.
(no. species; May-Sept)
4.253722-2.86294-3.69294-1.31294-1.404611.7037221.1370564.1037222.397056-0.91294-1.04628-0.929612.837056-2.37628-1.59628-2.79628-0.396287.1370567.8703892.5037220.103722-0.22961-1.96294-2.72961-3.46294-1.54294-0.29628-1.96294
N. copepod biomass anom.
(mg C m-3; May-Sept)
-0.785130.0117920.1171820.1157870.253832-0.163210.022852-0.87707-0.039960.1049870.225570.1211520.1317490.4040360.3602920.2444460.228388-0.31228-0.92631-0.655850.1900970.3701480.4469570.5246960.038810.1415710.4077030.103172
S. copepod biomass anom.
(mg C m-3; May-Sept)
0.586734-0.2438-0.21986-0.22776-0.243440.0765670.1909450.5335760.058607-0.08404-0.24601-0.198080.194065-0.15336-0.19801-0.21427-0.030330.4023150.4909250.304166-0.009910.111915-0.15554-0.22776-0.22696-0.16666-0.05863-0.22115
Biological transition
(day of year)
--134102101120156146238150896465169821259191----1931491569710683148158119
Nearshore Ichthyoplankton
Log(mg C 1,000 m-3; Jan-Mar)
0.4753641.6171040.9657130.9078831.9276030.3978420.3206630.4991631.1479030.4778821.6203140.621421.8820551.2149671.5377041.0847470.4575970.523810.495340.6395021.130310.4644671.2581431.3689840.7303761.3372560.199680.464449
Nearshore/offshore Ichthyoplankton community index (PCO axis 1 scores; Jan-Mar)12.83226.1231.40223.08519.0796.9972-14.144-31.45238.596-3.272432.386.4793-10.40827.64333.75117.62618.266-27.145-32.634-35.522-24.596-31.184-11.126-1.37141.0414-11.777-41.69-18.977
Chinook salmon juvenile
catches Log (no. km-1; June)
0.0938260.2862340.2248260.1219110.2329250.203890.1487820.0589860.1662360.1785510.4338210.2203720.2449820.1569780.2855860.2450280.2156810.1508020.1054690.0248510.117720.1591560.0874550.177740.183660.1480950.172070.185415
Coho salmon juvenile
catches Log (no. km-1; June)
0.0768160.2837960.2370420.4358760.4167730.4276160.215660.0742890.2547350.467910.4476880.3278080.3105530.2519620.2618760.4895380.3026570.2558050.2566080.0686660.4595960.2575340.2356510.2755340.3776130.4383430.4454130.543583
Mean of Ranks24.06258.812510.062510.18758.37517.687521.37522.37514.312512.56254.12511.2516.31259.6257.7510.562516.687523.31252321.62515.87519.937515.43757.37512.62512.437516.187511.4375
Rank of the mean ranks28578421232515131101963920272624172216214121811
Principal Component scores (PC1)5.832093-2.51064-2.28747-1.77302-2.560331.2415212.3070124.116746-0.19554-0.74484-4.71372-1.414120.459171-2.32009-3.03121-2.014930.3331285.2902185.4515163.3175580.1398652.167934-0.03482-2.78075-1.55098-1.330010.397596-1.7919
Principal Component scores (PC2)-0.17938-1.122480.195379-1.19336-2.40364-1.137171.903431-0.41142-1.91831-0.31919-2.324080.404654-1.037430.368619-0.27890.912222.98104-1.44211-2.32798-0.670010.3898222.3242153.130108-0.948062.70910.9372631.1132080.344466
Ecosystem Indicators not included in the mean of ranks or statistical analyses                    
Physical Spring Trans.
UI based (day of year)
838813412084109113142109708782951051239612910286115104108948016111388100
Physical Spring Trans. Hydrographic (day of year)187119142129120141157209123136102136169119140106162124164179157156179106178148142134
Upwelling Anomaly
(Sum April-May)
-1419-362-12-34-27-55-1490-5-35-36-35-21-375028-45814-2730-59-25192
Length of Upwelling Season
UI based (days)
191205151173218168177129195201179201161153161164134176187173190178157179134151197170
Copepod Community Index
(MDS axis 1 scores; May-Sept)
0.653393-0.928-0.86422-0.83648-0.94544-0.23755-0.265490.503117-0.10526-0.70563-0.97051-0.85725-0.29967-0.71374-0.81956-0.90172-0.46570.429010.7593420.367464-0.35275-0.23905-0.64899-0.94178-0.91411-0.79441-0.55719-0.89245

Ocean Indicators

Last updated by Northwest Fisheries Science Center on December 31, 2025