Mean structure of the inshore countercurrent and California undercurrent off Point Sur, California

Velocity and hydrographic data collected in the upper kilometer of the water column on 19 bi-monthly cruises along a 225 km section off Point Sur, California, from April 1988 to April 1991 are used to describe the mean conditions. The transition between the poleward flowing inshore countercurrents and the equatorward flowing California Current occurred about 100 km from the coast. The magnitude of the vertically averaged flow associated with the core of the inshore flow was 4.2 cm s−1, and its direction, 310°T, was parallel to the topography south of Pt Sur. Maximum flow, 10 cm s−1, was observed at 100 m next to the coast. The associated volume and heat fluxes were 2.9 Sv and 0.6×1014 W.