Study of the CCCCS Pressure Field and Its Relation to Circulation

摘要

The objectives of the report were: (1) to describe the temporal and spatialstructure of the pressure and pressure gradient fields along the Central California continental margin during the CCCCS program; (2) to develop a conceptual understanding of the relationships among wind stress, pressure gradients, and alongshore and across-shore transports; and (3) to assess the feasibility of using coastal sea level as a proxy for flow variability over the Central California continental margin. NDBC buoy alongshelf windstress forcing accounts for only about 30% of the variance of the CCCCS synthetic subsurface pressure (SSP) observations. The percentage of wind-driven variance explained by the principal alongshelf wind stress mode increases to 52% when only the SSP