Intermediate and Deep Current Measurements in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Marshall D. Earle

ene 1975 · U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office

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Ocean currents were measured in the central northeast Pacific, from 30 degrees N to 40 degrees N and 140 degrees W to 150 degrees W, with nine arrays of moored current meters during autumn 1973. Current meter records at depths from 700 m to 5420 m were analyzed to determine the characteristics of intermediate and deep currents within the central northeast Pacific. The currents in this region have very low speeds which generally decrease with increasing depth. Contributions to the time-dependent currents are primarily from oscillatory motions at the local inertial frequencies and the semidiurnal tidal frequency. Spectral analysis indicates that tidal frequency motion is essentially due to baroclinic internal tides and not barotropic surface tides.