Coastal Upwelling in Monterey Bay
Name ________________________________
Date ________ Period_______ Group______
Purpose: To determine when and where coastal upwelling is greatest along the Central
Coast of California.
Background Information: Coastal upwelling is the upward movement of water along a
coast. This rising water is usually cooler and more nutrient rich than the surface water it
replaces. The nutrients brought to the surface encourage the high plankton productivity,
which makes Monterey Bay a favorite with fishermen. Prior to 1940, a large portion of
the Monterey Bay economy was driven by fishing and canning plants and is the basis for
John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row.
Part I. Mapping
The upwelling water can be tracked by measuring the temperature of the surface water.
Below is a map of sea surface temperature (SST) from the TIROS-N satellite. Change
the data into a color image so that it can be more easily interpreted.
1.
Create a legend showing red for the warmest temperature, orange for the next warmest, and so on.
2.
Outline (contour) areas of each temperature.
3.
Color in these areas the appropriate color.
Part II. Graphing
Table 1 (your teacher will provide) shows SST and wind speed collected at Granite Canyon and buoy 46042,
respectively. Wind speed is measured and reported in the direction the wind is blowing from. North winds are given
positive speeds and south winds, negative. The sign tells information about the direction only, the number
tells information about how strong the wind is blowing. Thus, a 4 m/s and –4 m/s wind is the same strength, just
blowing from opposite directions.
1. Make a legend indicating what color or symbol you will use for each set of data.
2. Plot the data on the same graph. Notice that the left y-axis gives values for temperature and the left y-axis gives
values for wind speed.
(m/s)
(0 C)
Legend
Questions:
Use your map and the graph to answer the following questions.
1. Describe the wind direction and speed during the periods of coldest water (maximum upwelling).
2. Describe the wind direction and speed during the periods of warmest water (minimum upwelling).
3. Describe the relative location (N/S E/W) and shape of the area of cold surface water off of Point Año Nuevo.
4. Why do you think some of the water moves westward and some moves southward across the bay toward
Monterey.
5. Why do you think the Santa Cruz beach area is warmer than the rest of the bay?
6. If you were to take a boat from Moss Landing
Harbor out to Buoy 46042 and take surface
temperature measurements along the way,
approximate what the temperature profile would
look like? (Sketch the profile in the box to the
right.)
7. Fishermen net squid as they swarm in southern Monterey Bay to reproduce. The squid prefer warmer than
average water. Based on your data, which nights in June 1989 would you pick to go squid fishing?
8. Suppose you were offering bay tours to the public and wanted your customers to see the large, plankton-eating
basking sharks that visit Monterey Bay. What latitude and longitude would you head for? Why?
9. There is a large gas burning electrical power plant at Moss Landing that releases warm water, used for cooling its
turbines, into Monterey Bay. Does this warm water show up on the satellite map? Why?
10. Assuming the salt content does not change in the process of cooling, would you expect to find this warm water
near the surface or on the bottom? Why?
Table 1.
Data for Coastal Upwelling in Monterey Bay
Date
Sea Surface
Date
Wind Speed
Temperature
(m/sec)
(0C) at
North-South
Granite
Component
Canyon
at Buoy
46042
Table 1.
Data for Coastal Upwelling in Monterey Bay
Date
Sea Surface
Date
Wind Speed
Temperature
(m/sec)
(0C) at
North-South
Granite
Component
Canyon
at Buoy
46042
23-May
10
23-May
3
23-May
10
23-May
3
25-May
10
25-May
8
25-May
10
25-May
8
27-May
9
27-May
10
27-May
9
27-May
10
29-May
9
29-May
8
29-May
9
29-May
8
31-May
9
31-May
4
31-May
9
31-May
4
2-Jun
10
2-Jun
-1
2-Jun
10
2-Jun
-1
4-Jun
12
4-Jun
-4
4-Jun
12
4-Jun
-4
6-Jun
13
6-Jun
-3
6-Jun
13
6-Jun
-3
8-Jun
12
8-Jun
7
8-Jun
12
8-Jun
7
10-Jun
11
10-Jun
5
10-Jun
11
10-Jun
5
12-Jun
10
12-Jun
8
12-Jun
10
12-Jun
8
14-Jun
10
14-Jun
7
14-Jun
10
14-Jun
7
16-Jun
10
16-Jun
7
16-Jun
10
16-Jun
7
18-Jun
9
18-Jun
9
18-Jun
9
18-Jun
9
20-Jun
9
20-Jun
11
20-Jun
9
20-Jun
11
22-Jun
11
22-Jun
4
22-Jun
11
22-Jun
4
24-Jun
12
24-Jun
-4
24-Jun
12
24-Jun
-4
26-Jun
13
26-Jun
-6
26-Jun
13
26-Jun
-6
28-Jun
13
28-Jun
0
28-Jun
13
28-Jun
0
30-Jun
14
30-Jun
-1
30-Jun
14
30-Jun
-1
2-Jul
13
2-Jul
6
2-Jul
13
2-Jul
6
4-Jul
11
4-Jul
9
4-Jul
11
4-Jul
9
6-Jul
9
6-Jul
10
6-Jul
9
6-Jul
10
8-Jul
9
8-Jul
10
8-Jul
9
8-Jul
10