A study of time variability of surface currents at a point in Monterey Bay.

Abstract

The geomagnetic electrokinetograph (GEK) was used to measure surface currents near the center of Monterey Bay during six separate 24-hour periods from May through July, 1972. An average of 244 current vectors were derived for each cruise. The mean currents from these cruises are all southerly and ranged from 4.1 cm/sec to 20.4 cm/sec. The average of these mean currents is 12.1 cm/sec toward 163 °T. These values were compared with individual currents derived from dynamic topographies from the same period. Diurnal and semi-diurnal variations of the current were studied after subjecting the data to a fourier analysis. It was concluded that there must be at least an indirect coupling of the ocean currents with the semi-diurnal tide at the data point. The diurnal component also is important; it may be tidal or inertial, or merely related to the passage of the sun.