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El Nino‐induced onshore transport in the California Current during 1982‐1983
Author(s) -
Simpson James J.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl011i003p00233
Subject(s) - current (fluid) , submarine pipeline , salinity , oceanography , geology , kelvin wave , subarctic climate , sea breeze , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , climatology
Persistent (>9 month) large‐scale positive temperature (3‐4°C), negative salinity (0.1‐0.3‰) and positive dissolved oxygen (0.5‐1 ml/l) subsurface anomalies characterize the El Niño‐induced onshore transport in the California Current during 1982‐83. These anomalies, characteristic diagrams, and sign reversals in the salinity and oxygen anomalies are consistent only with enhanced onshore transport of Subarctic water from the offshore California Current. Onshore transport excludes poleward propagating Kelvin waves as a generation mechanism for the 1982‐83 Californian "El Niño". The data, however, support the conclusion (Simpson, 1983) that an anomalous basinwide atmospheric circulation produced the Californian "El Niño".