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Anomalous southward advection during 2002 in the Northern California current : evidence from Lagrangian Surface Drifters

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title Anomalous southward advection during 2002 in the Northern California current : evidence from Lagrangian Surface Drifters
Names Barth, John A. (creator)
Date Issued 2003 (iso8601)
Note copyrighted by American Geophysical Union
Abstract Equatorward velocities in the upwelling jet of the
northern California Current were 0.05–0.06 m s¯¹ faster in
spring and summer 2002 than on average over 1998–2002.
This result is based on a five-year data set of surface drifters
released across the continental margin off central Oregon
(44.65°N) during April and July of each year. At this speed,
anomalous water displacements of over a degree of latitude
can occur in 20–25 days. Given a source of cold, Subarctic
water to the north, this anomalous southward displacement
is a plausible explanation for the cold, nutrient-rich
halocline water observed off Oregon during the summer
of 2002. This interannual variability in the northern
California Current and its implications for the ecosystem
response, i.e., increased primary productivity, may be
contrasted with interannual variability of the opposite
sign - increased poleward velocity, warmer temperatures
and decreased productivity - observed in this same region
during El Niño years.
Genre Article
Identifier Barth, J. A., 2003, Anomalous southward advection during 2002 in the northern California Current: Evidence from Lagrangian surface drifters: Geophys. Res. Lett., v. 30(15), 8024.

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