BOTTOM CURRENT MEASUREMENTS IN THE HEAD OF MONTEREY SUBMARINE CANYON.

Bottom current measurements were taken in the head of Monterey Submarine Canyon in a water depth of 130 meters 72 fathoms utilizing an Ekman current meter placed 480 centimeters 15.7 feet above the bottom. Currents were observed to follow the canyon axes, and flow was seaward down-canyon on the rising tide and coastward up-canyon on the falling tide. Current speed was sometimes fairly steady and other times variable. It ranged between 0 and 41 centimeters per second 0 to 0.8 knot and had a median speed of 10 cmsec 0.2 knot. The six hours centered around low tide generally had considerably stronger currents than the similar period of time centered around high tide. Author