Upwelling index: a powerful tool for marine research in the NW Iberian upwelling system

A tool for the evaluation/calculation of Upwelling Index (UI) in the North West Iberian Upwelling System (NW IUS) was developed. To evaluate the upwelling indices of the application from the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center database (UIFNMOC) a comparison analysis with the historical series (UIH) traditionally used in the area and with other UI derived from different data sources such as Quikscat and ASCAT satellites, buoys and sea surface temperature was carried out. In order prove the usefulness of this kind of indices, and to assess the oceanographic and meteorological variability of the area, an analysis using mussels, a significant economical resource in the area, was conducted.