Central Florida summer cold water upwelling thread

[Chiung]

Getting hit by 53* water yesterday was an unpleasant but not entirely unexpected experience. The summer cold water upwelling is an established fact here, and I thought I'd post a thread for those along the central Florida coast to post their upwelling experiences for posterity and possibly to help identify trends and patterns related to it.

There have been several studies of the upwelling events by Harbor Branch scientists. One is here:

http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0485%281983%29013%3C1709%3ATASCOS%3E2.0.CO%3B2

and another:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee222/chiung_photos/Mako%20254/dtc111tif.gif

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee222/chiung_photos/Mako%20254/dtc112tif.gif

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee222/chiung_photos/Mako%20254/dtc113tif.gif

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee222/chiung_photos/Mako%20254/dtc114tif.gif

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee222/chiung_photos/Mako%20254/dtc115tif.gif

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee222/chiung_photos/Mako%20254/dtc116tif.gif

If you have experienced unusually cold bottom temps mid-summer, please post the location, date, depth, and top and bottom temps.

As a point of comparison, last year's upwelling off Ponce occurred sometime after mini-season. On August 12, 2009, surf temperatures dropped 11 degrees overnight, from 83* to 72*.

http://www.wesh.com/news/20374966/detail.html

It seems like the upwelling lasts around 3 weeks - I can't wait!

[Chiung]

July 28, 2010, bottom temps off Ponce in 85' were 53* and surface temps 83*.

[jfjf]

The scientific paper indicates that the primary cause is the gulf stream (Florida current) while everyone else seems to attibute it to simply the winds.

[inletsurf]

The scientific paper indicates that the primary cause is the gulf stream (Florida current) while everyone else seems to attibute it to simply the winds.

In our area, where the edge of the stream is at least 10 miles beyond the 90' depths, there does seem to be a correlation with offshore winds that pull the thermo in even closer. Just a long time observation.

That's a cool report, thanks for posting it.

I've dove Sebastian for over 14 years now, and every year we've experienced some level of thermo. I wish I had recorded the data over the years. In 2003 or 2004 it was the worst thermo ever...in the mid 40's and dead bugs and grouper everywhere. My cooler would smell of rotten bugs an hour after putting them in because, simply, there's no way to tell they were dead on the bottom...even the alive ones were not moving in any responsive way.
Dead eels everywhere, too. All over the place. The beach/surf was like in the 60's that summer. Freaking july-august.

[loose_cannon]

51 on the bottom at the East Ridge off Ponce yesterday. Dead eels reported.
One of the divers got a hogfish and a mango by opening his bag and herding the fish into it. He said it came to life pretty quick when he broke into the warm water @50'.

I remember the thermo in '04. It was painful to go into the water and it lasted a long damn time. I did a lot of Gulf diving that year

[Chiung]

Thanks for the report, here's a video report from WPB July 10 and 11, 2010, temps drop from 80* to 62* overnight:

YouTube- West Palm Beach's fragile reef ecosystem



And here's an animation of wind-driven upwelling:

http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010000/a010019/upwelling.mpg

[Chiung]

The '83 study does seem to conclude that the gulf stream is the primary cause, but the '97 paper seems to attribute the upwelling that we experience (inner shelf) to a combination of wind direction and stream position. What's interesting is that, instead of the common idea of a west-wind causing the warm surface waters to be blown offshore and cold bottom water to rush in, it seems that, because of the Corialis effect and the orientation of the coastline, a SE wind is conducive to the upwelling.

The scientific paper indicates that the primary cause is the gulf stream (Florida current) while everyone else seems to attibute it to simply the winds.

[Gone Fishing]

I seem to remember a really bad upwelling in 1996, temps in the 40s. The same year we had the Fire Storms. We had something like 3 months of SW wind that was a mjor factor for the fires but also seemed to intensify the upwelling.

[seamoore]

Off Ponce @ Party Grounds had 41* on the bottom in 85' and 83* on surface. FREEZING! 2' of vis at best never saw a bug, shot 1 sheepshead. Moved in to Site #5 had 10' of vis and 58* on bottom picked up a few mangos, sheepies, flounder, and black drum. They can have it, I will wait until regular season and warmer water, I live in Florida for a reason.

[Chiung]

Bump - anybody experience unusually sudden drops in surf or bottom temps along the east coast please post.

[scubapat]

Lets see, on 7/13/03 dove the Atlas 59* no vis. 7/24/04 half north 61* no vis.I have lots of July dives logged with 64* temps. 7/20/03 half north 52* no vis and dead fish.