Observations of intermediate nepheloid layers on the northern California continental margin

Conductivity-temperature-depth and transmissometer surveys were undertaken to investigate the characteristics and seasonal nature of intermediate nepheloid layers (INLs) over the outer shelf and upper slope of the northern California margin, near Eureka, CA. Observed INLs could generally be grouped into one of two categories: INLs that formed and spread seaward from the continental shelf, and INLs generated at continental slope depths greater than 150 in. Shelf INLs, forming between 70 and 150-m depth on the outer shelf and extending seaward 15-20 km past the shelf break, were prevalent during winter and early spring. Continental slope INLs were found during all seasons of the year. Their suspended particulate matter concentration was lower than that of the shelf INLs, and their horizontal extent was 3-7km seaward from the slope. Mooring data from 450-m depth show strong bottom-trapped semidiurnal internal tidal energy and asymmetry between upslope and downslope semidiurnal motions, indicative of bore-like behavior. These analyses suggest that critical reflection of internal tides is a common feature of the outer continental slope in this region. The location of slope-depth INLs was often observed to coincide with regions where the topographic slope angle was critical for internal tide reflection. In addition, seasonal variability in the span of critical topography over the slope matches seasonal variability in the density of observed INLs over the continental slope. Slope-depth INLs appear to be associated with energetic tidal motions and interaction between internal tides and bathymetry, whereas shelf-depth INLs are likely formed by resuspension events on the outer shelf and subsequent transport offshore by mesoscale circulation processes. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.