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Santa Barbara Channel - Santa Maria Basin Circulation Study

DRIFTER DATA ANALYSIS

Description of Trajectories

Drifter deployments can be sorted into three general categories. These are described in detail below. A constant feature of all the releases is the existence of a cyclonic circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel. A complete list of deployments is available in the Deployment Table.

Upwelling

After some time in the channel, drifters migrate into the Southern California Bight, either through the eastern entrance, or through the passes which separate the Channel Islands. Occurs more often in spring and early summer when conditions associated with upwelling exist in the western part of the channel.

Relaxation

Drifters seeded in the northeastern part of the channel are swept into a poleward current which appears concentrated over the shelf. Beyond Pt. Conception, several of the drifters remain close to the coast, continuing poleward along the central California coast. Occurs more frequently in late fall and early winter, when the equatorward winds have relaxed.

Cyclonic

Intense cyclonic circulation with only weak flow out of the channel. Some deployments suggest a cyclonic eddy which migrates towards the western entrance.

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