with a maximum discharge of 220,000 cfs through Range 5 (Figure 20), and 
net flow volume during this event, through Range 5, about equal to that of the 
total harbor volume. Circulation in inner harbor channels is clockwise from 
Los Angeles to Long Beach, in contrast to counterclockwise circulation for 
existing conditions. 
Time series of velocity (Plates 78-98) indicate that at the harbor entrances, 
velocities at the surface layer are large (3.5 to 4 fps; Plates 92, 95, and 98). 
At the East breakwater (Gauge 5), currents in the bottom layer (Plate 90) are 
out of the harbors and currents in the mid-depth and surface layers (Plates 91, 
92 and Figure 21) are into the harbors. At Angel’s and Queen’s Gates 
(Gauges 18 and 19), currents in the bottom and mid-depth layers (Plates 93-94 
and 96-97) are out of the harbors. In the surface layer (Plates 95 and 98), 
currents may be either into or out of the harbors, depending on the phase of 
the tide. The tidal signature can be seen clearly in the plots for velocities and 
discharges. Generally, there is a transition in velocity magnitude and 
direction from top to bottom. Large changes in velocity magnitude, from 
0.8 fps (existing) to 2.5 fps (Case 2), also are observed in the Long Beach 
Channel and near the entrance to Long Beach’s west basin (Gauges 4 and 3, 
respectively; see Figure 17 for locations). They may be attributed partly to 
the fact that the southeast winds are approximately aligned with the channel. 
A weak circulation gyre is noticeable at all three levels in the Long Beach 
West Basin. 
Tidal elevations (Plates 99-103) indicate only slight variations, primarily 
during maximum wind velocities (hr 5260-5266). Snapshots of velocity 
vectors (Plates 104-118) taken at hr 5257, 5263, 5272, 5296, and 5308 show 
the effect of the rising winds followed by falling winds. It is clear that a 
return to near normal circulation does not occur until hr 5308, about two days 
after peak winds. 
Case 3: Winds from the Northwest 
Wind speed and direction for Case 3 are based on a 22-26 December 1987 
event (Figure 22) where the actual data have been smoothed. This event 
followed that examined in Case 2. Winds started at 5260 hr and built up over 
18 hr to 31 mph (direction 0 deg). Speed remained constant for 6 hr and later 
dropped to 5 mph over 72 hr. Direction stayed the same throughout. Timing 
of the peak winds was chosen to be in phase with the ebb tide. 
In this case also, wind dominated the tide but, overall, this event does not 
have as much impact on harbor circulation as Case 2. As for the other cases, 
the results for this case are complicated by several factors, including the 
temporal variation of wind speed, direction, and phase of tide, the presence of 
three separate entrances, and vertical variation. Because discharges reflect the 
vertically integrated effects of the forcing, their variation is shown in 
Plates 119-125. In general, there are two different circulation regimes, with 
the transition occurring between 5280 and 5290 hr. In the early regime, there 
is net inflow through Angel’s and Queen’s Gates (Plates 119 and 124) and 
Chapter 5 Model Simulations 
29 
