Record Details
The fall transition of Oregon shelf waters
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | The fall transition of Oregon shelf waters |
| Names |
Reid, Brad
(creator) Huyer, Adriana (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1986-10-17 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1987 |
| Abstract | A long and gradual transition between the summer and winter oceanic regimes was observed off Oregon during the autumn of 1980. Hydrographic sections and a single current meter mooring between August and December show the ocean possessed characteristics during fall that have not been observed during other seasons: a slow ascension of the poleward undercurrent and the appearance of a large bottom boundary layer. The decay of summer's southward surface flow was achieved by a series of modest northward wind events during late summer as the effects of southward winds were becoming diminished. The northward wind events had progressively stronger influence on surface currents. The barotropic current fluctuations that are a signature of the summer regime continued during the transitional period. The weekly-to-monthly averaged flow was barotropic during much of the transition. Hydrographic sections and time series of alongshore current shear and temperature show that the leveling of the frontal layer was achieved gradually over a two month time scale. The winter regime was established during eleven days of continuous northward wind stress in early November. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Ocean circulation -- North Pacific Ocean |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/27962 |
