Cold halocline in the northern California Current: An invasion of subarctic water

• Main Authors: Howard J. Freel, Germaine Gatien, Adriana Huyer, Robert L. Smith
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: TERMS; 4215 Oceanography; General; Climate and interannual variability (3309; 4516 Oceanography; Physical; Eastern boundary currents; 4283 Oceanography; Water masses; 4279 Oceanography; Upwelling and convergences; 4223 Oceanography; Descriptive and regional oceanography; Davidson; Subarctic; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.492.7531; http://ltop.coas.oregonstate.edu/~ctd/pdf/freelandetal03.pdf

[1] Subsurface upper ocean waters off Oregon and Vancouver Island were about 1C cooler in July 2002 than in July 2001. The anomalously cool layer coincides with the permanent halocline which has salinities of 32.2 to 33.8, suggesting an invasion of nutrient-rich Subarctic waters. The anomalously cool layer lies at 30–150 m. The cool anomaly is likely caused by stronger southward flow in the California Current and weaker northward flow in the Alaska and Davidson Currents during spring 2002. Other factors may include reduced coastal downwelling in late winter and early spring 2002, enhanced eastward flow in the Subarctic Current, and enhanced winter mixing offshore. INDEX