295 RIENECKER, M. M. and MOOERS, N. K. 1986. "The 1982-1983 El Nino Signal 

 Off Northern California," Journal of Geophysical Research . Vol 90, No. C5 , 

 pp 6597-6608. 



The major El Nino event of 1982-1983 affected the entire California Cur- 

 rent system. The anomalous conditions along the west coast of North America 

 were related to the equatorial anomalies and also to the anomalous atmospheric 

 circulation in the Northeast Pacific, where the Aleutian Low was east of its 

 usual position and the associated 700-mbar height reached its lowest value on 

 record in February-March 1983. Positive temperature and negative salinity 

 anomalies in the upper ocean, extending from the coast to at least 200 km off- 

 shore, were reported from San Diego to Vancouver Island. In data acquired in 

 domains centered approximately 180 km off northern California by the Ocean 

 Prediction Through Observation, Modeling and Analysis Program, anomalies in 

 both temperature and salinity were most pronounced subsurface. Spatially and 

 monthly averaged temperatures were about 3° C warmer than normal at 80 to 

 100 m in April and again in December 1983. At 100 to 120 m, salinity was 

 about 0.4 parts per thousand lower than normal in July 1983 and July 1984, 

 several months later than the temperature anomaly maxima. The temperature 

 anomalies may be related to the poleward propagation of the equatorial El Nino 

 perturbation by coastally trapped waves, with offshore propagation by plane- 

 tary Rossby waves possibly playing some role in the relaxation of the 

 perturbed eastern boundary current circulation. Anomalous onshore advection 

 associated with the perturbed atmospheric circulation, deeper than normal 

 mixed layers, or depression of the thermocline and halocline by the passage of 

 Rossby waves could each account for coincident positive temperature and nega- 

 tive salinity anomalies. (Authors). 



296 RODEN, G. J. 1966. "Low-Frequency Sea-Level Oscillations Along the 

 Pacific Coast of North America," Journal of Geophysical Research . Vol 71, 

 No. 20, pp 4755-4776. 



The information obtainable from monthly mean sea- level records and the 

 joint variation of sea- level, atmospheric pressure, and sea temperatures are 

 analyzed. The spectrum of sea- level is time invariant and shows significant 

 peaks only at frequencies corresponding to the annual and semiannual oscilla- 

 tions. The bispectrum of sea- level indicates a weak interaction of the annual 

 frequency with itself, as well as with other frequencies. Secular sea-level 

 changes along the Pacific coast are related to land subsidence and uplift. 

 The mean duration of positive and negative sea- level anomalies from long-term 

 monthly means is of the order of 3 months. Extreme durations vary between 10 

 and 34 months and are closely related to large-scale atmospheric disturbances. 

 The areal coherence of nonperiodic sea- level fluctuations is of the order of 

 1,200 km. At temperate and high latitudes there is good coherence between 

 nonperiodic sea-level and atmospheric pressure oscillations. The response 

 between these two variables varies from -0.9 cm/mb to -2.3 cm/mb in the fre- 

 quency range between 1 and 6 cycles per year. The coherence between non- 

 periodic sea-level and sea temperature fluctuations is high in tropical 

 latitudes and low in polar latitudes. The response is largely independent of 

 frequency, varying from 1.0 to 2.7 cm/° C. These findings are in agreement 



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