Record Details
Statistical aspects of surface drifter observations of circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Statistical aspects of surface drifter observations of circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel |
| Names |
Dever, Edward P.
(creator) Hendershott, M. C. (creator) Winant, C. D. (creator) |
| Date Issued | 1998-10-15 (iso8601) |
| Note | copyrighted by American Geophysical Union |
| Abstract | Argos-tracked drifters are used to study the near-surface circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel. The mean consists of a cyclonic cell in the western Santa Barbara Channel with weaker flow in the eastern Channel. Drifter mean velocities agree well with record means from near-surface current meters. At the eastern entrance to the channel, drifter velocities are biased toward outflow (eastward velocity) conditions. Drifter variability at synoptic and seasonal scales shows a tendency for upwelling and eastward flow in spring, a strong cyclonic circulation in summer, poleward relaxation in fall, and weak, variable circulation in winter. Drifter estimates of eddy stress divergence indicate advective terms play a secondary role in the mean surface momentum balance. Lagrangian time and space scales are about 1 day and under 10 km, respectively. The mismatch between Lagrangian and Eulerian timescales indicates advective terms are important to the fluctuating circulation. |
| Genre | Article |
| Identifier | Dever, E. P., Hendershott, M. C., and Winant, C. D., (1998). Statistical aspects of surface drifter observations of circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel. J. Geophys. Res., 103, C11, 24781-24797. |
