Figure 8.— Volume transport in lO'm.Vsec, to 1,500 db., fall 1963. (The 183- and 1,829-m. 

 depth contours are shown.) 



sive lines normal to shore. The onshore move- 

 ment evident during spring had reversed to 0.4 

 X lO^m.V'sec. in the offshore part of the area 

 and 2.7 x lO'^m.' sec. Seaward across the Con- 

 tinental Slope. The net transport across the line 

 from Willapa Bay to Cobb Seamourit was less 

 than 1 X 10''m.^/sec. Compared with a trans- 

 port of 14 X lO^m.' sec. for the Gulf of Alaska 

 (Bennett, 1959), these results indicate a lack 

 of significant net transport along the coast of 

 Washington within 500 km. of shore. 



The surface Davidson Current and the sub- 

 surface California Undercurrent reported by 

 previous authors, therefore, did not contribute 

 more than 1 x lO'm.'/sec. to the net north- 

 ward transport of water along the coast of 

 Washington. Although the total volume of 



transport was the same in spring and fall, an 

 increase in the California Undercurrent was 

 implied by the distribution of properties at and 

 below 200 m. south of lat. 48° N. 



DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTIES 



Although the most common method of de- 

 termining oceanic circulation is the calculation 

 of geostrophic currents and transports from 

 observed values of temperature and salinity 

 at standard depths, deductions concerning 

 flow can also be made directly from the ob- 

 served distributions of these water properties. 

 Reasonable confidence may be placed in the 

 interpretation of the circulation, particularly 

 when the direction of flow suggested from the 

 distribution of properties supports the calcu- 



GEOSTROPHIC CIRCULATION 



231 



