Record Details

Enhanced southward flow over the Oregon shelf in 2002: a conduit for subarctic water

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title Enhanced southward flow over the Oregon shelf in 2002: a conduit for subarctic water
Names Kosro, P. Michael, 1951- (creator)
Date Issued 2003 (iso8601)
Abstract Moored current measurements from the Oregon shelf
during 1998–2003 are used to estimate time series of
anomalous alongshore currents and pseudo-displacements,
after accounting for the mean and seasonal cycle. From
early January through mid-June, 2002, currents at 10 m
were anomalously strong toward the south by an average
12 cm/s, producing an anomalous displacement of more
than 1500 km over about 5 months. This may be compared
with the finding by Freeland et al. [2003] that waters at the
same latitude off Oregon, and off Vancouver Island, were
anomalously cool and fresh at depths between 30 and 150 m,
suggesting displacement from a more northern source.
Anomalous displacements of several hundred kilometers
were also found during at least three other periods in the
record. Moored temperature measurements at the same
location confirm that local waters were persistently cooler
during March to October of 2002 than during the previous
two years, with the strongest anomaly near 20 m. Coastal
sea levels were lower than usual along the northwest coast
during spring and early summer 2002, consistent with a
southward current anomaly of large scale. Local winds near
Newport did not show strong mean anomalies during this
period.
Genre Article
Identifier Kosro, P. M. (2003). Enhanced southward flow over the Oregon shelf in 2002: a conduit for subarctic water. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(15). doi:10.1029/2003GL017436

© Western Waters Digital Library - GWLA member projects - Designed by the J. Willard Marriott Library - Hosted by Oregon State University Libraries and Press