Argos-tracked drifters are used to study the near-surface circulation in
the Santa Barbara Channel. The mean consists of a cyclonic cell in the western
Santa Barbara Channel with weaker flow in the eastern Channel. Drifter mean
velocities agree well with record means from near-surface current meters. At
the eastern entrance to the channel, drifter velocities are biased toward outflow
(eastward velocity) conditions. Drifter variability at synoptic and seasonal scales
shows a tendency for upwelling and eastward flow in spring, a strong cyclonic
circulation in summer, poleward relaxation in fall, and weak, variable circulation
in winter. Drifter estimates of eddy stress divergence indicate advective terms play
a secondary role in the mean surface momentum balance. Lagrangian time and
space scales are about 1 day and under 10 km, respectively. The mismatch between
Lagrangian and Eulerian timescales indicates advective terms are important to the
fluctuating circulation.Copyrighted by American Geophysical Union
