Implications of such a study would extend far beyond the Gulf of Alaska. For example, coastal currents driven by the buoyancy derived from freshwater inputs can be found off the coast of Norway. Mean currents in the Middle Atlantic Bight may be forced by freshwater injections from the St. Lawrence River estuary. The Mississippi River likewise has a measurable effect on the nearshore circulation of the entire Gulf of Mexico west of the Mississippi Delta, especially in spring. Another important set of examples of how global change may influence the biology of the sea involves oceanic fronts.
Fronts are ubiquitous in the ocean, especially in the coastal zones.
The locations of several of these frontal types as well as the behavior and dynamics of the fronts, such as downwelling and mixing, may be expected to shift with changing global climate because most fronts can be strongly affected by winds. It seems reasonable to hypothesize that associated upwelling fronts may have changed their locations in addition to their upwelling regimes. In addition, the positions of estuarine fronts will be under the control of freshwater input to the estuary and consequently subject to variation with shifting precipitation regimes. Our final example involves the impact of changing sea level. Extrapolated over the coming 50-100 years, this rise in sea level promises to have profound impacts on nearshore habitats.