A number of offshore islands protect the area of Santa 

 Monica Bay from the effects of storms and high waves originating 

 in the open sea. From a hydrographic standpoint, the bay is 

 in open communication with the offshore region and the character 

 of its waters as well as its circulation, therefore, depend 

 upon events outside the bay. On the other hand, its shape and 

 orientation are such that waves, tides, and local winds deci- 

 sively modify the pattern of current flow, particularly in the 

 near-shore and littoral zones. Although the chemical and 

 physical structure of the waters in the bay are complicated, 

 the work of the past year has established certain general 

 features and patterns of flow that are the subject of this 

 report. 



THE CLIMATE OF SANTA MONICA BAY 



Los Angeles is situated in a region which has a 

 "Mediterranean" climate (Kb'ppen, 1923). The characteristics 

 of this climate are hot summers, with the warmest month having 

 an average temperature higher than 71°F, mild winters with the 

 coolest month having average temperatures between 32°F and 

 64.4°F, and with at least three times as much rainfall in the 

 wettest month as in the dryest. The coastal regions of 

 southern California have all the prerequisites for such a 

 climate. Due to the concentration of rainfall in the winter 

 and early spring, plus the hot dry summers, the vegetation 

 imparts a brown color to the land area during most of the 

 year. Only in the late winter and early spring is the land- 

 scape green, and the duration of the green period is entirely 



