CURRENTS IN CONCEPCION BAY, CHILE

Abstract

The reponed measurements of oceanographic variables made in Concepción Bay, up to now suggest that the spatial and temporal fluctuations during the upwelling season are modulated by the exchange with offshore waters. New current measurements, made during Summer 1984, provide evidence that tides are one of the gratest factors forcing the intrusión of these waters. A two-layer structure of the water column, with an inshore flow at the bottom and an offshore flow at the surface, has been found in bouth mouths of the bay. The average transpon is of 8.7 x 10³ m3/s, which implies a residence time of 3.2 days. The results obtained are similar to those published by other authors.