Atmospheric forcing of the Oregon coastal ocean during the 2001 upwelling season ...

• Main Authors: Bane, J. M., Levine, M. D., Boyd, T., Perlin, N., Kosro, P. M., Samelson, R. M., Meaux, M. F., Haines, S. M.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries 2005
• Subjects: Pacific; aleutian low
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17615/vcdk-2j41; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/articles/47429j61w

Copyrighted by American Geophysical Union. Meteorological conditions during an intensive oceanographic observational program in May through August 2001 along the central Oregon coast are described and related to larger-scale and longer-term conditions. Southward wind stresses of 0.05-0.1 N m⁻² occurred roughly 75% of the time, with a sustained period of dominantly southward stress from mid-June through July. Wind variations were correlated with variations in the large-scale Aleutian Low and North Pacific High pressure centers; correlations with the continental Thermal Low were small. Intraseasonal oscillations in alongshore wind stress (periods near 20 days) correlated with the north-south position of the jet stream. These stress oscillations drove 20 day oscillations in upper ocean temperature, with a lag of roughly 5 days for maximum correlation and amplitudes near 4°C. The sum of sensible and latent air-sea heat fluxes was generally into the atmosphere through June, then weakly into the ocean thereafter, ...