Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 18:53:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Gene Thompson <gthompso@ccsf.cc.ca.us>
To: Pinhole Listserv <pinhole@exploratorium.edu>
Subject: Re: More about foam....
In-Reply-To: <3.0.3.32.19980224111203.006aea30@mail.walltech.com>
Yes. We surf out here (living at the Great Hwy is the same as living in
Surf City) and it's clear that 1. the current does not run north to south
consistently and 2. the indentation makes a big difference. There's a
huge rip tide in place most of the year, often taking a surfer who got in
at Noriega and placing him, after say 20 minutes in the water, off the
coast from Judah. Sometimes the rip runs opposite. Sometimes there's
little or not rip at all. The direction of the current often seems to be
based on wind, but not consistently enough to count on.
The effects of the indentation are visible from my school. I work on the
3rd floor of George Washington (at 32nd and Balboa), facing west, and can
see to Hawaii (it seems like) when the weather permits. When there's a
really dirty or very fresh water outrush from the bay, you can clearly see
(by color differences) where the water is being pushed. The water all
along Ocean Beach, while eventually getting churned into the mass of ocean
water by wave action, remains visually distinct and fairly untouched for
hours after such events -- in fact, usually until the tide changes.
Ellen Koivisto
George Washington High School
SF
On Tue, 24 Feb 1998, Pinhole Listserv wrote:
> I have a question that's tangentially related to the foam/sewage thing.The
> California current runs from N CA to the south, so if the current were not
> interrupted it would transport most of the sewage south of Ocean Beach and
> Baker Beach, where much of the foam was. But here's my question: does
> anyone know how much Pt Reyes & the indentation of SF Bay disrupts the
> southward flow of the current? Are there huge eddies created by these
> disruptions? Which way does the water actually flow?
>
> I know that these are easy questions to answer -- has anyone actually
> thrown stuff in the water and watched which way it goes?
>
>
> Geoff Ruth
> Eastside School
> 2101 Pulgas Avenue
> East Palo Alto, CA 94303
> (650) 323-5898
>
>