Numerical Simulation of Regional Circulation in the Monterey Bay Region
Abstract
Monterey Bay is located 100 km south of San Francisco and is one of several large bays on the West Coast of the United States. This area is important due to the abundance of marine life. The regional circulation in the Monterey Bay area is tightly coupled to the California Current System (CCS) and highly correlated to the coastal upwelling. In the offshore region, flow is dominated by a broad, weak, equatorward flowing current, the California Current (CC). The CC extends offshore to a distance of 900 - 1000 km and flows year-round. Within about 100 km of the coast, two narrow poleward flowing boundary currents have been found, the Inshore Countercurrent (IC) and the California Undercurrent (CU). The IC is a weak current that varies seasonally, appearing in fall and winter, and transports shallow, upper layer water. The CU is a narrow (10-50 km) relatively weak subsurface flow and transports warm, saline equatorial water. The CU is strongest at around 100 - 300 m depth and has a mean speed of approximately 15 cm/s (Pierce et al. 2000) at all latitudes on the West Coast throughout the year.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADP014797
Entities
People
- D. E. Dietrich
- J. H. Ferziger
- Y. H. Tseng