24' 

 N. 



2 2' 



2 0' 



MEXICO 



34.50 



34.60-- 



34.70 



SAN BENEDICTO l.« 

 \ l_l 



'CAPE 

 ICORRIENTES 



II4°W, 



112° 



110° 



108° 



106° 



Figure 31. —Horizontal salinity distribution at 10-m. depth for part of CalCOFI cruise 6004-B andTor cruise TO-60-1. 



The contour interval here and in the next figure is 0.10 p.p.t. 



Water, extending sinuously southwards from 

 Cape San Lucas for about 100 nautical miles 

 (185 km.); the other part continuing westward 

 out to sea and formed between California 

 Current Surface Water and Subtropical Pacific 

 Surface Water. This second part is much 

 weaker than the first; front studies have 

 been most successful at the first part. 



There are indications of eddy formation; 

 the Gulf Surface Water seems to be contained 

 at the Cape by the California Current Surface 

 Water which turns eastward in a large loop 

 well south of the Cape. Between the large 

 loop of low-salinity water and the high- 

 salinity water to the east is a relatively 

 large area of water of intermediate salinity, 

 marked by two nodes about 34.90 p.p.t. Pre- 

 sumably this is mixed water. 



This distribution, seen at the 10-m. depth, 

 is essentially unchanged in form, at least 

 down to 75 m. At 50 m. (fig. 32), low-salinity 

 water south of Cape San Lucas has spread 



out and appears to have intruded into the Gulf 

 as was mentioned earlier. At 150 m. most of 

 the Gulf entrance and the area inshore along 

 western Lower California is occupied by 

 water of salinities between 34.75 and 34.85 

 p.p.t.; i.e., by the salinity maximum of the 

 Subtropical Subsurface Water. The salinity 

 increases immediately in the Gulf proper. 

 No indication of upwelling appears off western 

 Lower California, except perhaps at Magdalena 

 Bay, and a strong gradient exists between the 

 saline water inshore and the low-salinity water 

 offshore, running roughly north- south. This 

 low- salinity water is at the bottom of the 

 salinity minimum of the California Current 

 Water. 



Thermosteric anomaly, Sx 



The 8x and temperature distributions have a 

 similar form. Figure 33 shows the distribution 



36 



