Use of Ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Data to Study Mesoscale Oceanic Circulation Patterns in the Archipielago de Colon (Galapagos Islands) and the Gulf of the Farallones

John B. Steger

ene 1997 · Naval Postgraduate School

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Ship-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data are used to study regional ocean patterns around the biologically rich regions of the Archipielago de Colon (Galapagos Islands) and the Gulf of the Farallones to test our assumptions about the circulation derived primarily from hydrographic samples. West of the Galapagos, an equatorial undercurrent transporting 7 Sv was present in November 1993, which decelerated within 30 km of the archipelago, shoaled, and diverged with a strong deflection to the southwest. A method of removing tidal velocities from ADCP measurements by creating an empirical model of the tides and using it to predict and subtract the tides is described. It is shown that in the Gulf of the Farallones, a large number of observations, typically more than acquired on one cruise, are necessary to reduce tidal model error. Detided ADCP data are used to describe the circulation in the Gulf under various wind conditions. Over the continental slope, Surface-to-depth poleward flow is present throughout the year. During wind relaxations, poleward flow strengthens and warmer, fresher water is transported onshore.