Choosing Atmospheric Conditions to Find Seasons of Upwelling
Begin your Case Study by investigating the factor that is largely responsible for upwelling at Monterey Bay: wind. The graphs below, known as "stick plots," show wind speed and direction measured at the M1 and M2 moorings. Downward facing sticks show when the wind was blowing towards the south (i.e., northerly winds). Upward facing sticks show when the wind was blowing towards the north (i.e., southerly winds). Using these stick plots as a guide, select a season that likely had strong upwelling by clicking on the season.
Additional Resources:
- Latest wind data from the M1 mooring
- Latest wind data from the M2 mooring
- Animation of monthly winds off central California (Jan. '99 - Sep. '00)
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Last updated: Feb. 17, 2009