18 



RECORDS OF OBSERVATIONS, SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY 



TABLE 2 



MAIIMDM AND KINIMDK TENPERATORE AND SALINITY AT , 50 , AM) 200 METERS 

 AND DISSOLVED OXYGEN AT 200 METERS 



*Figures in parentheses indicate stations, 

 tsalinlty at station 1, 33.10 °/oo. 



The maximum and minimum salinity for each 

 cruise is given in table 2, from which it is seen 

 that the variation is rather small. Minimum 

 values were always encountered in the offshore 

 vfater with the exception of Cruise I, when water 

 of low salinity, apparently diluted by rainfall 

 and runoff, was found to the north of Point Con- 

 ception. The maximum salinities v.'ere usually 

 associated with low temperatures and were lo- 

 cated in or near the trough. The surface salin- 

 ity in the Counter Current was generally inter- 

 mediate between that of the offshore water and 

 that of the upwelling water. The pattern of 

 distribution on any one cruise was frequently 

 complicated by the presence of eddies which had 

 transported water of one type into that of a 

 different character. The latter statement ap- 

 plies to the conditions at other levels as well 

 as at the surface. 



Temperature and salinity at 50 meters . - The 

 distribution of temperature and salinity at 50 

 meters for each of the six cruises is shown in 

 charts 19 to 24. The extreme values and the 

 ranges in conditions are given in table 2. At 

 this level the distribution of conditions is more 

 complicated than that at the Surface, owing to 

 the greater range in temperature and salinity. 

 The greater range may be attributed to the fact 

 that the convection layer varied from depths con- 

 siderably less than 50 meters to more than 100 

 meters. The convection layer was generally thick- 

 est in the offshore area, within which the tem- 

 peratures at 50 meters were therefore similar to 

 those at the surface. Near shore the convection 

 layer was thin and, consequently, low tempera- 

 tures were found at 50 meters. Lowest tempera- 

 tures and highest salinities v/ere usually found 

 in or near the tongue extending south and east 



