Decadal Scale Shifts. Longer term, interdecadal scale variations in zooplankton abundance in parts of Region III of the CCS have also been observed. Parrish et al. Although spawning of marine benthic invertebrates may not be localized to one region of the CCS, recruitment success to the nearshore marine benthos can be. Roughgarden et al.
Recruitment is favored when the fronts are nearshore and act as a barrier to offshore dispersal.
Similarly, topographically controlled nearshore circulation can regulate recruitment success both in space and time. Wing et al. Concentration of larvae in upwelling shadows in the lee of promontories, with subsequent northward transport may provide a retention mechanism in the face of stron southward currents during upwelling. Comparative studies of conspecifics in different parts of their range are likely to lead to improved understanding of both the proximate cues and ultimate advantages of different life history traits. These studies will provide the basis for the development of predictive models of population growth under different scenarios of a changing ocean climate.