Seasonal hydrodynamical features on the continental shelf of Colima (west coast of Mexico)

Abstract

Four high-resolution hydrographic surveys were carried out in 2002 on the continental shelf of Colima, Pacific coast of Mexico. The data collected revealed the presence of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy-like features covering the whole extension of the shelf, which is a rather different pattern from the along-shore general circulation described in previous works. Despite the apparent complexity of the circulation features, the overall shelf-slope exchange pattern is similar in autumn and winter and the opposite in spring. In summer the exchanges also have a similar distribution to autumn and winter, but they are restricted to the upper layers. This suggests that the observed circulation features could result from the interaction between the large-scale seasonal circulation and some kind of local forcing.