Abstract
[1] Alongshore winds in Baja California strongly influence nearshore temperatures hundreds of kilometers to the north at Point Loma, San Diego, California, on timescales of a week to a year. The time lag between wind and temperature is consistent with first mode coastal trapped wave phase speed. The nearshore cross-shelf circulation forced by the coastal trapped waves is, at least much of the year, oppositely directed at the surface and bottom. No relation is found between the winds and temperature for periods greater than a year. It is argued that similar results may be found elsewhere in the Southern California Bight. The relationship between stratification and bottom temperature varies over the 1.3 years of data, but for much of the time, warmer bottom waters are associated with even warmer surface waters and thus stronger stratification. The effects of the remotely forced cross-shelf exchange on coastal pollution, nutrient dynamics, and larval transport are briefly discussed.
Department
Earth Sciences
Publication Date
4-30-2003
Journal Title
Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans
Publisher
AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1029/2002JC001447
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Pringle, J. M., and K. Riser, Remotely forced nearshore upwelling in Southern California, J. Geophys. Res., 108(C4),3131
Rights
Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union