The Structure and Variability of the Marine Atmosphere around the Santa Barbara Channel

Dorman, Clive E.; Winant, Clinton D.

doi:10.1175/1520-0493(2000)128<0261:tsavot>2.0.co;2

Cited by 84 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In contrast, we found the greatest occurrence of winter upwelling events during November-December, and this discrepancy is puzzling. The November-December timing of these events corresponded generally to the seasonal transition observed in winds (Dorman and Winant 2000) and channel surface currents (Winant et al 2003). We speculate that conditions favor-able for winter upwelling events are somehow set by seasonal transitions and may occur only within a window of time when the channel's density structure is evolving toward winter conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…5e,f). Such reversals were the result of winter storms that were usually preceded by strong northwestward winds and followed by southeastward winds (Dorman and Winant 2000). Along-isobath current velocity at the inner shelf ( Fig.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these variables, diurnal variance was greater than semidiurnal energy. There was also an energetic diurnal peak (period 23.6 to 24.1 h) in wind variance associated with the diurnal land-sea breeze (Dorman and Winant 2000). In addition to the tidal/daily and synoptic time scales, wind speed, temperature, and DIN(T) all showed increases in spectral amplitude at very low frequencies (periods greater than ,50 d) associated with seasonal variability.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mechanisms for nutrient delivery to the inner shelf: Observations from the Santa Barbara Channel

McPhee-Shaw

Siegel

Washburn

et al. 2007

Limnology & Oceanography

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Oceanic sources of nutrients to the kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel were diagnosed using time series from three moorings in 12-to 17-m water depth. An in situ nitrate autoanalyzer on the moorings provided the first high-resolution time series of nitrate + nitrite (dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN) concentrations for this environment. Measurements between February 2001 and May 2003 show that the major mechanisms that supply DIN to the inner shelf of the Santa Barbara Channel are upwelling, diurnal internal motions, and storm runoff. These supply mechanisms vary in importance seasonally. Upwelling dominates increases of inner-shelf DIN concentration between March and May and accounts for more than half of the annual advective DIN transport to shelf reefs. In summer, baroclinic motions akin to internal waves are an important source of DIN because they occur when surface nutrient concentrations are depleted and other supply mechanisms are inactive. Brief episodes of upwelling become important in late autumn and early winter. DIN inputs from storm runoff, detected as salinity dilution at the moorings and estimated from measurements of stream discharge and nutrient concentration, are significant during winter runoff events.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Mechanisms for nutrient delivery to the inner shelf: Observations from the Santa Barbara Channel

McPhee-Shaw

Siegel

Washburn

et al. 2007

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…23-May 4, 2004 event was selected for study based on the number of consecutive nights classified by the NWS/LOX as "sundowner" events (Personal Communication). The following criteria have been used by the NWS/LOX to classify the events (Dorman and Winant, 2000): (1) sustained winds ≥ 25 mph (11.2 m/s), (2) wind gusts ≥ 35 mph (15.6 m/s), and (3) a northerly component in the wind direction. In this context "sustained" means the 2-minute average wind speed at the Montecito Hills RAWS stations (~6.0 m tower height).…”

Section: Local Influence In Santa Barbaramentioning

confidence: 55%

“…8. The gradient exhibits a very rapid transition from onshore to offshore at sunset that is in agreement with the typical rapid development of offshore wind in the evenings (Dorman and Winant, 2000). As the evening progresses, the mesoscale low in the Santa Barbara channel is intensified by adiabatic heating from offshore downslope winds.…”

Section: Spatial Patterns Of Pressurementioning

confidence: 58%

WRF simulation of downslope wind events in coastal Santa Barbara County

Cannon

Carvalho

Jones

et al. 2017

Atmospheric Research

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The National Weather Service (NWS) considers frequent gusty downslope winds, accompanied by rapid warming and decreased relative humidity, among the most significant weather events affecting southern California coastal areas in the vicinity of Santa Barbara (SB). These extreme conditions, commonly known as "sundowners", have affected the evolution of all major wildfires that impacted SB in recent years. Sundowners greatly increase fire, aviation and maritime navigation hazards and are thus a priority for regional forecasting. Currently, the NWS employs the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model at 2 km resolution to complement forecasts at regional-to-local scales. However, no systematic study has been performed to evaluate the skill of WRF in simulating sundowners. This research presents a case study of an 11-day period in spring 2004 during which sundowner events were observed on multiple nights. We perform sensitivity experiments for WRF using available observations for validation and demonstrate that WRF is skillful in representing the general mesoscale structure of these events, though important shortcomings exist. Furthermore, we discuss the generation and evolution of sundowners during the case study using the best performing configuration, and compare these results to hindcasts for two major SB fires. Unique, but similar, profiles of wind and stability are observed over SB between case studies despite considerable differences in large-scale circulation, indicating that common conditions may exist across all events. These findings aid in understanding the evolution of sundowner events and are potentially valuable for event prediction.

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Contrasting spatial patterns in the diurnal and semidiurnal temperature variability in the Santa Barbara Channel, California

2016

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The Santa Barbara Channel, California, experiences large temperature fluctuations during summer that have been associated with the input of nutrients to the euphotic zone. We studied the temperature fluctuations in the diurnal and semidiurnal bands, which account for as much as 65% of the total variance. We analyzed data from 25 moorings along the mainland and the Northern Channel Islands deployed at depths 8–18 m during 1999–2012. In the diurnal band, the temperature fluctuations vary almost simultaneously within two distinct regions, with a lag of 5 h between the regions: the mainland east of Point Conception and the west part of the Channel exposed to the large‐scale winds. The two regions of in‐phase temperature variability are in agreement with a previously published division of zones according to the wind characteristics. The portion of the diurnal temperature variance that is wind driven does not propagate along the coastline, but rather is directly forced by the wind. The semidiurnal temperature oscillations are more substantial in the Northern Channel Islands. These findings are consistent with a numerical study that predicted that the steep slopes of the Santa Cruz Basin, located south of the Channel Islands, are a source of semidiurnal internal tides. We conclude that the contrast between the spatial patterns of the diurnal and semidiurnal temperature oscillations on scales of tens of kilometers reflects the spatial distribution of the main forcing in each band, namely the diurnal wind and the locally generated semidiurnal internal tide. The spatial patterns of the diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations reflect the forcing in each band.

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The Structure and Variability of the Marine Atmosphere around the Santa Barbara Channel

Cited by 84 publications

References 28 publications

Mechanisms for nutrient delivery to the inner shelf: Observations from the Santa Barbara Channel

Mechanisms for nutrient delivery to the inner shelf: Observations from the Santa Barbara Channel

WRF simulation of downslope wind events in coastal Santa Barbara County

Contrasting spatial patterns in the diurnal and semidiurnal temperature variability in the Santa Barbara Channel, California

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