Description of oceanographic conditions on the Northeast US continental shelf during 2023

An overview is presented of the atmospheric and oceanographic conditions on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf during 2023. The analysis utilizes hydrographic observations collected by the operational oceanography programs of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), which represents the most comprehensive consistently sampled ongoing environmental record within the region. On average, waters on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf were anomalously fresh and slightly warmer in 2023 relative to the 1991–2020 climatological mean condition.