Eastern margin of the Pacific Ocean

Due to its plate tectonic setting, much of the coastline of the eastern margin of the Pacific Ocean is rugged. Climatically it includes northern, central and southern wet zones with dry zones in between (see Fig. 14.1A). The principal surface-water currents are eastern boundary currents which originate in high latitudes. These are broad and sluggish, they transport cool water into low latitudes and they are commonly associated with upwelling: California Current (Northern Hemisphere), Peru Current (Southern Hemisphere). The generalised oceanography of the North American margin is shown in Fig. 14.1. The California Current develops as one branch of the Subarctic Current, the other flowing around the Gulf of Alaska. Between the California Current and the coast there is the northward-flowing Davidson Figure 14.1 Generalised oceanography for North America. (A) surface currents and climatic zones; (B) surface salinities (‰); (C) surface temperatures °C), August; (D) surface temperatures (°C), February (based on Sverdrup et al. 1942) https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315846101/5d837dd4-a5af-4291-bdf3-c0c36c5681cf/content/fig14_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>