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Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

1996 Santa Barbara County ROC Emission Inventory

0 5 10 15 20

Cleaning/Surface Coatings

Petroleum Related

Solvent Usage

Miscellaneous

Mobile Sources

Natural Sources

(Tons/day)

Figure 4.3-1. Reactive Hydrocarbon Inventory by

Category

1996 Santa Barbara County NOx Emission Inventory

8% 3%

5%

3%

3%

78%

Oil & Gas Production

(Combustion) (8%)

Manufacturing/Industrial

(3%)

Food/Agricultural

Processing (5%)

Service/Commercial (3%)

Residential Fuel

Combustion (3%)

Mobile Sources (78%)

Figure 4.3-2. NOx Emission Inventory by Major

Category

4.3 AIR QUALITY

4.3.1 EXISTING AIR QUALITY

The Federal government has established ambient air quality standards to protect public health (primary standards) and, in addition, has established secondary standards to protect public welfare known as

the National Ambient Air Quality Standards

(NAAQS). National primary standards establish the

levels of air quality necessary, with an adequate margin of safety to protect the public health. National

secondary standards are the level of air quality necessary to protect the public welfare from any known or

anticipated adverse effects of a pollutant.

The State of California has established separate,

more stringent ambient air quality standards to protect human health and welfare (CAAQS). California

and National standards have been established for

ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide

(NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), suspended particulate

matter 10 microns (PM10), suspended particulate matter 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and lead (Pb). These are commonly referred to as the criteria pollutants. In addition, California has standards for sulfates, hydrogen

sulfide, vinyl chloride, and visibility reducing particles.

National standards, other than O3 and those

based on annual averages or annual arithmetic means,

are not to be exceeded more than once a year. The

ozone standard is attained when the expected number of days per calendar year with maximum hourly

average concentrations above the standard is equal to

or less than one. Once the federal 1-hour ozone standard is attained, it will be revoked and replaced by

the 8-hour standard. California standards for O3, CO,

1 hour SO2, NO2 and PM10 and visibility reducing particles are all values that are not to be exceeded. The

24-hour SO2, sulfates, lead, hydrogen sulfide, and vinyl chloride are not to be equaled or exceeded. The

current CAAQS and NAAQS are listed in Table 4.3-1.

Air quality is determined by measuring ambient concentrations at various monitoring sites within

the county and comparing those concentrations to the

health-based standards. The ambient air quality

within the region depends upon the extent and orientation of emission sources, and the characteristics of

the receptors as well as the time of exposure to a given

pollutant. Table 4.3-2 shows a summary of ozone

monitoring concentrations for representative monitoring sites in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

The results of the monitored data indicate that the

ambient air quality is mostly within the applicable ambient air quality standards, with the exception of ozone

and fine particulates (PM10).

4.3.2. AIR POLLUTANTS

Photochemical Pollutants. Ozone (O3) is the

principal compound of a group of secondary pollutants that are formed in the atmosphere through a series of complex photochemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx) and reactive hydrocarbons (ROC).

A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted into the

atmosphere, but is formed as a result of photochemical reactions with primary pollutants. As these photochemical reactions may take several hours to occur,

peak ozone levels are often found downwind of major

source areas and have a more regional distribution.

The 1996 ROC estimated annual emission inventory

in tons per day for Santa Barbara County is presented

by category in Figure 4.3-1.

Both the CAAQS and the NAAQS for ozone have

been historically exceeded in the South Coast Air Basin, with both Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties

designated as non-attainment for the State and Federal Standards. Due to aggressive emission control

strategies and favorable meteorology, peak ozone concentrations have declined during the 1990s. Santa

Barbara County is presently classified as a “serious”

non-attainment designation for the 1 hour ozone standard. However, the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) has proposed a reclassification to an attainment
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Description of the Affected Environment: Air Quality

area for the one hour ozone standard, based on ozone

levels registered during 1997-1999. Ventura is presently classified as a “severe” non-attainment designation for the 1- hour ozone standard.

Inert Pollutants. State and Federal ambient

air standards for the primary (inert) air pollutants -

CO, NO2, SO2, PM10, and lead - are contained in Table

4.3-1. Sulfates and H2S levels are also summarized.

Elevated levels of the primary pollutants are generally a localized phenomenon found in the vicinity of

major sources. Therefore, elevated concentrations of

the primary pollutants are generally dependent upon

the proximity of the ambient monitoring station to

major pollutant sources.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas formed primarily by the incomplete combustion of fuels. The primary source of CO emissions in the Santa Barbara

area is motor vehicles. Santa Barbara County is considered to be in attainment of both the California and

National 1-hour CO standards. CO concentrations

tend to be greater during the winter months due to

limited dispersion and colder surface temperatures

than during the summer months when increased mixing is more prevalent.

Nitric oxide (NO) emissions are formed during

combustion processes which through oxidation rapidly forms into nitrogen oxide (NO2

). Nitrogen oxides

are a primary precursor to the formation of ozone

pollution. High nitrogen dioxide levels are generally

measured in urbanized areas with heavy traffic. NO2

emissions have been historically below both the California and National standards and there have been

no exceedences of the 1-hour standard during the past

15 years. Nitrogen dioxide may additionally react in

the atmosphere with water forming nitric acid that is

a constituent of acid rain. The 1996 NOx emission

inventory for Santa Barbara County is presented by

percent contribution by category in Figure 4.3-2.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is primarily formed through

combustion processes by stationary and mobile sources

utilizing sulfur fuels. SO2

 concentrations have been

historically low due to the lack of major sulfur dioxide

South Central Coast

Air Basin County O3 CO NO2 SO2 PM10

State Fed. State Fed. State Fed. State Fed. State Fed.

Ventura N A A U/A A U/A A U/A N U

Santa Barbara N U/A A U/A A U/A A U/A N U

San Luis Obispo N N A U/A A U/A A U/A N U

Source: California Air Resources Board

Note: A = Attainment N = Non-Attainment P = Partial Attainment

U = Unclassified U/A = Unclassified/Attainment

Table 4.3-3. Attainment Status in the South Central Coast Air Basin

sources in the region and Santa Barbara is considered in attainment of the State and National standards.

Atmospheric particulates are made up of finely

suspended solids or liquids such as wind-blown dust,

aerosols, and wildfires. California and National standards have been devised for PM10 (particulate matter

10 microns or less) and California standards for PM2.5

(particulate matter 2.5 microns or less). The primary

sources of PM10 emissions originate from miscellaneous process such as road dusts, construction and

demolition operations, and farming operations. PM10

emissions may additionally result from NOx and SOx

emissions acting as precursors in particulate formation. Particulate matter acts as a respiratory irritant

that may affect children and other individuals susceptible to respiratory problems. Large particles are

effectively filtered in the upper respiratory tract, however, small particles (under 10 microns) can cause serious health effects. Santa Barbara is considered in

attainment of the National annual PM10 standard but

exceed both the California annual and 24-hour standards. PM2.5 is not currently being monitored in Santa

Barbara County.

Lead is a heavy metal whose particles in the atmosphere primarily result form motor vehicles. Primary sources of atmospheric lead are automotive

emissions and lead processing. Lead emissions have

been nominal since the phase out of leaded fuels and

the County is in attainment of both California and

National standards.

Sulfates are aerosols that result when sulfur

oxide particles combine with moist air. The primary

source of sulfate is the combustion of fuels containing

sulfur. Sulfates may act to aggravate respiratory diseases and are also a corrosive agent. The last

exceedence of the California sulfate standard occurred

in 1984 and Santa Barbara County is currently in attainment of the California sulfate standard.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2

S) is an odorless, toxic gas

that can be detected by humans at very low concentrations. Higher concentrations can damage the ner-
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Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

vous system and be fatal. H2S is produced during the

decay of organic material and is found naturally in

petroleum. Santa Barbara County has been in attainment of the California standard since 1993.

Toxic Air Contaminants. Toxic Air Contaminants (TAC) are hazardous air pollutants that are suspected or known to cause cancer, genetic mutations,

birth defects, or other serious illnesses. TACs are considered to be inert pollutants that preserve their

chemical composition and are generally site specific

to industrial facilities, chrome plating facilities and

other industrial operations utilizing solvents. In 1990,

the California Air Resources Board identified vinyl

chloride as TAC and determined there was not sufficient available scientific evidence to support the identification of a threshold exposure level. This determination allows the implementation of health-protective

control measures at levels below the 0.010 ppm ambient concentration specified in the 1978 standard.

Greenhouse Gases. There is a growing concern regarding the potential effects of greenhouse

gases on global climate. The primary greenhouse gases

are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2

O), ozone (O3), water vapor (H2O), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Greenhouse gases are largely

transparent to solar radiation, but they do absorb long

wave radiation emitted by the earth’s surface and reradiate a portion of the energy back down to earth.

This process results in a net warming effect to the

lower layers of the atmosphere. Methodology is presently not available which will allow a determination

of the project contribution to the probability, extent,

or imminence of global climate change.

REGULATORY SETTING

The proposed exploration projects are all located

adjacent to Santa Barbara County within the South

Central Coast Air Basin. The Federal attainment status of Santa Barbara County is found in 40 CFR

81.305. Currently, Santa Barbara County is in attainment of all the National Ambient Air Quality Standards with the exception of the 1-hour ozone standard. Santa Barbara County is presently classified as

a “serious” non-attainment designation for the ozone

standard. However, the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) has proposed a reclassification to an

attainment area for the one hour ozone standard,

based on ozone levels registered during 1997-1999.

Santa Barbara County is also considered non-attainment for both the California ozone and 24-hour PM10

air quality standards. A summary of the attainment

status of the South Central Coast Air Basin is listed

in Table 4.3-3.

Section 328 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) transfers authority for air quality on

the OCS to the EPA. On September 4, 1992, the EPA

Administrator promulgated requirements (40 CFR

Part 55) to control air pollution from OCS sources to

attain and maintain Federal and State air quality standards and to comply with CAAA provisions for the

Prevention of Significant Deterioration. The promulgated regulations require OCS sources to comply with

applicable onshore air quality rules in the corresponding onshore area (COA). EPA delegated authority to

the SBCAPCD on November 5, 1993 to implement and

enforce the requirements of 40 CFR Part 55. The full

transfer of authority to SBCAPCD to regulate OCS

air emissions pursuant to 40 CFR Part 55 transpired

on September 4, 1994.

FEDERAL AND CALIFORNIA

REGULATIONS

National, state, and regional agencies have established standards and regulations that affect the

Proposed Project. The following National and State

regulatory considerations apply to the project and to

all alternatives:

• Federal Clean Air Act of 1970 directs the attainment and maintenance of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The 1990

Amendments to this Act affect attainment and

maintenance of NAAQS (Title I), motor vehicles and fuel reformulation (Title II), hazardous air pollutants (Title III), acid deposition (Title IV), facility operating permits (Title

V), stratospheric ozone protection (Title VI),

and enforcement (Title VII).

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) implements the Federal Clean Air Act

(CAA) and established the NAAQS for criteria pollutants.

• EPA instituted final rules for determining general conformity of federal actions with state

and federal air quality implementation plans

on November 30, 1993.

• California Air Resources Board (CARB) has established the California Ambient Air Quality

Standard (CAAQS), which determine State attainment status for criteria pollutants.

• The California Clean Air Act (CCAA) went into

effect on January 1, 1989 and was amended in

1992. The CCAA mandates achieving the

health-based CAAQS at the earliest practicable

date.
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Description of the Affected Environment: Air Quality

• Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Information and Assessment Act of 1987 (AB 2588) requires an

inventory of air toxics emissions from individual facilities, an assessment of health risk,

and a notification of potential significant

health risk.

• The Calderon Bill (SB 1731) alters AB 2588.

The bill sets forth changes in the following

four areas: providing guidelines to identify a

more realistic health risk, requiring high risk

facilities to submit an air toxic emission reduction plan, holding air pollution control

districts accountable for ensuring that the

plans will achieve their objectives, and requiring high risk facilities to achieve their planned

emissions reduction.

• The new Tanner Bill (AB 2728) amends the

existing Tanner Bill (AB 1807) by setting

forth provisions to implement the National

program for hazardous air pollutants.

LOCAL REGULATIONS

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (SBCAPCD) has jurisdiction over air

quality attainment in the Santa Barbara County portion of the South Central Coast Air Basin and offshore sources as delegated by the USEPA. The

SBCAPCD was the principal author of the 1991 Air

Quality Attainment Plan (AQAP), the 1993 Rate of

Progress Plan (ROP), and the 1994 Clean Air Plan

(CAP) which contains strategies for locally attaining

State and National ozone standards. The 1998 Clean

Air Plan is the most recent strategy for attaining

State and National ozone standards in Santa Barbara County, including portions of the OCS adjacent

to the County.

The SBCAPCD (District) has 12 regulations,

each of which includes a number of rules designed

for the control of stationary sources of air pollution.

The primary regulations affecting the proposed

project are contained in Regulation II, which establishes air permit requirements, and Regulation VII,

regarding the review of new or modified air pollution

sources.

Regulation II (Permits). Regulation II establishes the County’s permit system applicable to all stationary sources of air pollution. The construction and

modification of sources of air contaminants are required to obtain (1) an Authority to Construct permit

(ATC) prior to initiating construction or modification

of a source; and (2) a Permit to Operate (PTO) prior

to commencing operations. Regulation II codifies:

• Permits for activities that emit or affect air

pollutants.

• Designates the permit and exemption criteria

for air pollution sources.

• Describes the required permit application information.

• Establishes the standards for granting permits.

Rule 202, provides the general provisions and

exemption criteria adopted by SBCAPCD to determine

whether certain operations or activities are subject to

a District Authority to Construct or Permit to Operate. Section F.6 of the Rule states, “A permit shall not

be required for drilling equipment used in state waters or in the outer continental shelf provided the emissions from such equipment are less than 25 tons per

stationary source of any affected pollutant during any

consecutive 12 month period.” Drilling equipment

includes drill rig, workover rig and exploratory rig

engines. Temporary engines that are ancillary to the

drilling rig or workover operation - such as wireline

unit engines, nitrogen skid unit engines, pump skid

engines - are considered drilling equipment. Emissions

from platform engines such as crane engines and wellkill pump engines are not included in the drilling

equipment exemption.

Thus, the proposed delineation drilling projects

will be subject to a 25 ton exemption threshold as denoted in Rule 202 and projects demonstrating drilling

equipment emission potentials less than 25 tons shall

BACT

Requirements

> 25 lbs/day for any non-attainment pollutant (except CO)

> 150 lbs/day for CO

AQIA

Requirements

> 120 lbs/day for any non-attainment pollutant (except CO and PM10)

> 550 lbs/day for CO; > 80 lbs/day for PM10

Offsets

Requirements

> 55 lbs/day or >10 tons/yr for any non-attainment pollutant (except CO and PM10)

> 150 lbs/day or >25 tons/yr for CO; > 80 lbs/day or >10 tons/yr for PM10

Table 4.3-4. Santa Barbara County APCD BACT, AQIA and Emission Offset Requirements
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Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

have those emissions exempted from SBCAPCD permit requirements. Emission sources other than drilling equipment will be subject to the permit provisions

contained in Regulation II.

Regulation VII (New Source Review).

Regulation VII, commonly referred to as New Source

Review (NSR) establishes criteria for new or modified source of air pollution in the County. The objective of Regulation VII is to:

• Ensure that new or modified sources of air pollution prevent the degradation of air quality.

• Ensure that new or modified sources of air pollution do not interfere with the attainment and

maintenance of air quality standards.

• Establish threshold levels of air emissions requiring Best Available Control Technology

(BACT), emission offsets, and air quality impact analysis (AQIA).

• Specifies how increases in both non-attainment and attainment pollutants are permitted.

Table 4.3-4 provides a summation of SBCAPCD

threshold requirements relating to the application of

Best Available Control Technology (BACT), air quality impact analysis (AQIA), and emission offsets.

The SBCAPCD has additionally adopted Rule

331 to control emissions of fugitive hydrocarbons from

oil extraction, processing, and pipeline facilities. Operators must make visual inspections of pumps and compressors every eight hours of operation. In addition,

quarterly inspections of all components, including

flanges, fittings, and valves, are also required. Inspection of these components is intended to reduce fugitive ROC emissions that result from oil and gas leakage.

EFFECTS OF PAST OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS

ACTIVITIES

Regional air quality are affected by emissions

from all direct and support activities for oil and gas

operations occurring on the OCS. These emissions

may result from oil and gas activities including exploratory drilling, construction, oil and gas development and production operations, and support craft

activities. To date, a total of 23 offshore structures

and 1 offshore storage and transfer facility have been

installed on the OCS from 1968 through 1993. 16

structures have been emplaced offshore of Santa Barbara County, 4 offshore of Ventura County, and 4 struc

tures offshore of Long Beach. Of the total of 16 structures offshore Santa Barbara County, the Offshore

Storage and Treatment (OS&T) facility was removed

in 1994 leaving 15 structures presently in place of the

County.

A cooperative air quality study for the Santa Barbara Channel was conducted to assess the impacts of

emissions from direct and indirect OCS activities on

ozone concentrations on Santa Barbara and Ventura

Counties. The Joint Interagency Modeling Study

(JIMS) (SAI, 1986), was a cooperative study between

MMS, Santa Barbara and Ventura APCDs, the EPA,

and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Three distinct meteorological scenarios that were

highly conducive to ozone formation entailing site

specific emissions data were utilized. The JIMS study

established that the maximum onshore concentrations

from existing OCS facilities were less than 1 part per

hundred million for ozone. By comparison, the

NAAQS for ozone is 12 parts per hundred million. In

addition, the subsequent transfer of air regulatory

authority to EPA and delegation to local APCDs has

further minimized potential onshore air quality impacts from OCS related activities. Table 4.3-5 provides an estimate of Santa Barbara Channel emissions

including the OCS operations that was determined

by SAI for the JIMS study.

Drilling Operations. The emissions associated with both exploration and delineation drilling operations are primarily combustion related and the

pollutant of concern with these operations are NOx.

The primary sources of emissions from exploration

operations occur from the Drilling Vessels’ main engines, cranes and flare. Additional support craft servicing the drilling operations are an additional source

OCS Source NOx ROC

Exploratory Drilling 0.27 0.01

Development Drilling 0.26 0.02

Production Operations 2.15 2.06

Tankering 0.42 0.35

Support Craft 2.47 0.27

Ships 26.95 0.96

 Total 32.52 3.67

Source: Joint Interagency Modeling Study (JIMS) (SAI, 1986)

Table 4.3-5. Santa Barbara Channel Emissions (tons/day)
4-33

Description of the Affected Environment: Physical Oceanography

of NOx emissions. Initial production well drilling

emission sources are the turbines generating the power

requirements, cranes and the flare. Drilling emissions

are generally of short duration lasting on average between 80-120 days for a typical exploratory well.

Construction Operations. Construction operations generally result in the most emission intensive phase of offshore operations. As construction operations are particularly combustion intensive, the

highest peak-hour emissions of offshore operations are

usually associated with this phase. Due to the high

peak-hour emissions over a relatively short duration

of time, potential violations of hourly ambient air standards are of concern during this phase. The platform

jacket installation is the largest source of construction related emissions associated with platform construction. Additional sources of platform construction emissions are hookup and platform commissioning, pipeline installation, and power cable installation.

Support vessels are an additional source of NOx emissions during construction operations.

Platform decommissioning operations are an additional source of construction emissions due to their

short duration and combustion intensive nature. Decommissioning phases which could result in NOx emissions are 1) pre-abandonment operations, 2) topside

removal, 3) jacket removal, 4) debris removal, and 5)

pipeline and power cable removal.

Production Operations. Production operations result in the majority of emissions associated

with offshore operations over the lifetime of the platform. While day to day emissions are relatively low,

the total emissions are additive over the approximate

30 year life of the platform. The primary sources of

NOx emissions during oil & gas production are turbines, cranes, flares, and auxiliary generators. The

primary ROC evaporative sources associated with construction are fugitive emissions from the multitude

of valves, flanges and connectors as well as storage

vessels.

Support vessels servicing platform operations

are also a primary source of NOx emissions. The bulk

of support craft emissions are from the supply and

crew boats main engines and auxiliary generators. Helicopters are an additional source of emissions.

4.4 PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

4.4.1 INTRODUCTION

There has been a tremendous amount of physical oceanographic research done in the Southern California Bight over the last two decades. Extensive research was done concerning the deep circulation south

of the Santa Barbara Channel in the 1980’s and the

surface circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel and

the Santa Maria Basin in the 1990’s and early 2000’s

. The latter research was conducted as part of the

1991 Cooperative Agreement between the MMS and

the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University

of California, San Diego. This Cooperative Agreement

was brought about in response to recommendations

made by the National Research Council (NRC 1989

and 1990), and by the findings of two scientific panels

who met in the fall of 1990 in two separate workshops

held in La Jolla, CA. These scientific panels met to

discuss the numerical modeling and physical oceanographic research requirements necessary to obtain the

information needed to effectively support OCS oil and

gas decision-making in the Southern California Bight

and offshore the southern central California coast.

While this document will summarize the 1980’s research in the Southern California Bight, emphasis will

be placed on the surface circulation in the Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Maria Basin because of its

direct pertinence to the objectives of the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Environmental Impact

Statement.

4.4.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIGHT

MORPHOLOGY

The Southern California Bight (Fig. 4.4-1) is

bounded to the north and east by the California coast,

from Point Arguello to the U.S./Mexican international

border. It is bounded offshore to the west by the Santa

Rosa-Cortes ridge. Within the Bight are submarine

valleys and mountains, the peaks of which form the

various offshore islands. The ridges and troughs generally run northwest to southeast, with the exception

of the Santa Barbara Channel, which runs east to west.

The oceanic circulation in Southern California Bight

owes its complexity principally to the Bight’s composite bottom topography. Any water flow entering the

12 basins making up the Southern California Bight at

depths below 250 m must do so from the southeast

along the San Diego Trough and into the Santa Monica

– San Pedro basins. The Santa Monica – San Pedro

basins act as a conduit for water flow into the rest of

the Bight, opening up to the southeast at 737 m, to

the northwest into the Santa Barbara Basin at 250 m,

and to the west into the Santa Cruz Basin at 650 m.

Together, the Santa Monica-San Pedro Basins are 100

km long, 40 km wide, and 900 m deep at the deepest

point (Browne 1994).
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Delineation Drilling Activities Offshore Santa Barbara County

4.4.3 OCEANIC CIRCULATION IN THE

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIGHT

The circulation patterns in the Southern California Bight were successfully approximated by a number of investigators in the 1960’s and 1970’s performing geostrophic (resultant movement from balance

between forces caused by pressure gradients and the

earth’s rotation) calculations using temperature and

salinity data obtained in the California Cooperative

Oceanic Fisheries Investigations. These patterns were

later verified by Barbara Hickey of the University of

Washington (Hickey 1992). It is her investigations of

the currents in the Santa Monica and San Pedro basins from 1987 to 1990 that give us the detail of the

poleward flow in the Southern California Bight, and

also provide some surprising revelations for biologists

concerning the overturning of bottom basin water.

The wind pattern along the west coast of the

United States is typically strong, alternating in direction between the northwest and the southeast in the

northern part of the coast and becoming more polarized toward the southeast in the southern region, especially off the California coast around Points Sal,

Arguello, and Conception. This polarization of the

winds toward the southeast off the entire coast of

California is most prominent during the late spring

to early fall. These winds are called upwelling favorable winds because their consistent southeast direction moves surface waters offshore. This gives rise to

upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich, bottom water at the

coast that, in turn, moves this water mass offshore in

a continual cycle. The Santa Ynez mountains at the

northern part of the Southern California Bight shield

bight waters from this strong wind pattern, causing

the winds inside the bight to be moderate and directed

east to southeast throughout the year.

The sources of ocean water in the Southern California Bight (Fig. 4.4-2) are (1) cold, low salinity, highly

oxygenated sub-arctic water brought in by the California Current, and ultimately the California CounterCurrent; (2) the moderate, saline, central north Pacific water advecting into the Bight from the west;

and (3) the warm, highly saline, low oxygen content

Figure 4.4-1. Southern California Bight bathymetry (Hickey 1992).