Two-Year Observations of Coastal-Fjord Interactions in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Holbrook, James R.; Cannon, G. A.; Kachel, David

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-6648-9_23

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The Neah Bay station could also be affected by geostrophic tilting of the sea surface across the strait. For the mean outstrait surface speeds reported by Holbrook et al [ 1983] near Neah Bay (10 and 20 cm/s in winter and summer, respectively) we might expect a response of the order of -2 cm in the mean, with a seasonal range of about -1 cm, which is much less than the amplitude of the observed seasonal signal at Neah Bay.…”

Section: Deep-ocean Currentssupporting

confidence: 78%

The seasonal alongshore pressure gradient on the West Coast of the United States

Hickey¹,

Pola²

1983

J. Geophys. Res.

106

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The long‐term mean steric height (0/500 dbar) data of Reid and Mantyla (1976) are added to relative monthly mean adjusted sea level data to obtain a seasonal time series of “quasi‐absolute” large‐scale (>300 km) sea surface elevation along the west coast of the United States from 48°N to 33°N. North of 38°N, the elevation slope reverses sign seasonally so that the resulting pressure gradient force is southward from October to June and northward from July to September. South of 38°N, the pressure gradient force is northward except during January at all latitudes and during February in the interval from 38°N to 35°N. Maximum northward force occurs during August and September at all latitudes. The relative contributions to sea level elevation slope by seasonal heating and cooling, freshwater effluent effects, the alongshore component of coastal wind stress, and deep‐ocean currents are investigated. Both seasonal heating and cooling and freshwater contributions to large‐scale elevation slope are relatively insignificant (<10% in every month) at all latitudes. Wind stress forcing (determined with the barotropic, steady, frictional model of Csanady (1978)) is significant north of Point Conception (35°N) for both the long‐term mean slope and its seasonal oscillation. Remote contributions are particularly important in the Pacific Northwest. South of San Francisco (38°N), empirical evidence suggests that deep‐ocean currents contribute significantly to coastal elevation slope in summer and fall and in the mean. Deep‐ocean currents may also affect elevation slope along the whole coast during spring, causing elevated sea level toward the north.

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Section: Deep-ocean Currentssupporting

confidence: 78%

The seasonal alongshore pressure gradient on the West Coast of the United States

Hickey¹,

Pola²

1983

J. Geophys. Res.

106

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“…[58] However, we suggest that the OG98 estimate of hhpg h ii is unrealistic for several reasons. First, the seasonal variation in surface slope between Neah Bay and Port Angeles has been related to seasonal variations in coastal winds [e.g., Holbrook et al, 1983] which were not considered by OG98. Second, it is not clear that there is a dramatic seasonal variation in hQ T i (see section 5.7).…”

Section: 4mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of large-scale tidal asymmetry on subtidal dynamics in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca

Martin

MacCready

2011

J. Geophys. Res.

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A numerical model indicates that rough topography at the ends of the 100 km long western Strait of Juan de Fuca (WJdF) creates large‐scale asymmetries in the tidal flow which complicate the subtidal dynamics in WJdF proper. In large regions, surface height increases and density decreases toward the ocean (as confirmed by hydrographic data). The Coriolis, advection, and pressure gradient momentum terms are large and variable, but their sum, CAP, remains small and steady. CAP drives the time‐mean subtidal inflow against bottom friction, while the outflow is lightly damped. Previous studies which found large internal stresses may have been misled by the unexpected complexity of the subtidal dynamics. The model finds that about half of the time‐mean subtidal transport is due to tidal rectification alone, while the density‐driven component is proportional to the salinity difference from the ocean to the interior. Combining these results with measured salinity data suggests that the seasonal variation of the time‐mean subtidal transport in WJdF is relatively small. This does not imply that the same is true upstream.

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“…Observations within the Strait have shown complex circulation that sometimes deviates from a traditional estuarine exchange flow (e.g., Cannon, ; Frisch et al, ; Holbrook et al, ; Holbrook & Halpern, ; Thomson et al, ). During the upwelling season, there is a well‐established exchange flow (into the estuary at depth, out at the surface), however it does not always encompass the entire water column.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse Estuarine Circulation Due to Local and Remote Wind Forcing, Enhanced by the Presence of Along‐Coast Estuaries

Giddings

MacCready

2017

JGR Oceans

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Estuarine exchange flow governs the interaction between oceans and estuaries and thus plays a large role in their biogeochemical processes. This study investigates the variability in estuarine exchange flow due to offshore oceanic conditions including upwelling/downwelling, and the presence of a river plume offshore (from a neighboring estuary). We address these processes via numerical simulations at the mouth of the Salish Sea, a large estuarine system in the Northeast Pacific. An analysis of the Total Exchange Flow indicates that during the upwelling season, the exchange flow is fairly consistent in magnitude and oriented in a positive (into the estuary at depth and out at the surface) direction. However, during periods of downwelling favorable winds, the exchange flow shows significantly more variability including multiple reversals, consistent with observations, and surface intrusions of the Columbia River plume which originates 250 km to the south. Numerical along‐strait momentum budgets show that the exchange flow is forced dominantly by the pressure gradients, particularly the baroclinic. The pressure gradient is modified by Coriolis and sometimes advection, highlighting the importance of geostrophy and local adjustments. In experiments conducted without the offshore river plume, reversals still occur but are weaker, and the baroclinic pressure gradient plays a reduced role. These results suggest that estuaries along strong upwelling coastlines should experience significant modulation in the exchange flow during upwelling versus downwelling conditions. Additionally, they highlight the importance of nearby estuaries impacting one‐another, not only in terms of connectivity, but also altering the exchange flow.

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Two-Year Observations of Coastal-Fjord Interactions in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Cited by 13 publications

References 9 publications

The seasonal alongshore pressure gradient on the West Coast of the United States

The seasonal alongshore pressure gradient on the West Coast of the United States

Influence of large-scale tidal asymmetry on subtidal dynamics in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca

Reverse Estuarine Circulation Due to Local and Remote Wind Forcing, Enhanced by the Presence of Along‐Coast Estuaries

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