2C Northern California /Cape Mendocino 



Mark R. Abbott 



Jet Propulsion Laboratory 



California Institute of Technology 



Pasadena, California 



and 



Scripps Institution of Oceanography 



University of California, San Diego 



La JoUa, California 



The California Current System was originally thought to be a broad, 

 slow-moving, southward current. However, it is apparent from CZCS 

 imagery that this idea is far too simple. Rather, the California Current is 

 more like a series of eddies and jets with a net southward drift. The jets 

 themselves are interesting features in that they are associated with the 

 larger promontories in the coastline. Velocities in these jets range from 50 

 to 100 cm s-i, and they often extend several hundred kilometers away from 

 the coast. Thus, the jets could be an efficient mechanism for the exchange 

 of high chlorophyll productive nearshore waters with poorer productive 

 offshore waters. 



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