Southwest of Point Arguello, drogue patterns indicated a counterclockwise 

 rotating eddy that was centered about 15 miles from shore. Flow 

 from the southern edge of this eddy appeared to be eastward. As 

 the drogues moved to the east, a southern component became apparent, 

 similar to the pattern displayed by drogues released near the entrance 

 to Santa Barbara Channel. 



Farther south, along the line extending southwest from Point Arguello, 

 the drogues showed a definite southwest flow pattern. Between this 

 southwest flow and the southward flow near the entrance to Santa 

 Barbara Channel, drogues displayed a northwestward component, indicating 

 a probable eddy. 



The drogues in Santa Barbara Channel described a mixed flow. The 

 drogues along the north side of the channel indicated a strong westward 

 current, whereas the drogues along the south side indicated an equally 

 strong eastward current. 



The effect of tidal currents on drogues is difficult to ascertain 

 on both the January and November-December surveys because of the large 

 time lapses between navigational fixes. Also, other factors, such as 

 drag, prevailing winds, and localized eddies will influence drogue 

 movement . 



3. Geostrophic Currents . Surface dynamic topographies were 

 contoured relative to the 200-meter (660 feet) and 500-meter (1640 

 feet) reference levels, and the topography at 200 meters was contoured 

 relative to the 500-meter level. The 200-meter reference level was 

 selected because it utilized a maximum amount of the data, and the 

 500-meter level was selected because it facilitated a comparison 

 to the literature. In computing and analyzing the dynamic data, 

 the major assumptions were that the reference level had no net motion, 

 the flow was in a steady state, and the data were synoptic. 



For the January survey, surface dynamic topographies indicate a 

 counterclockwise rotating system southwest of Point Arguello (Fig. 12). 

 North of this system, topographies show a northward movement, and to 

 the south, a southeastward movement. The topography at 200 meters 

 indicates flow to the north with the isobars paralleling the bottom 

 contours (Fig. 13). 



For the November-December survey, surface dynamic topographies 

 indicate a southerly flow along the coast, turning eastward off 

 Point Arguello (Fig. 14). The topography at 200 meters is poorly 

 defined, but a northward flow, north of Point Arguello, and a south- 

 easterly flow, south of the islands, are indicated (Fig. 15). 



14 



