Lagrangian observations of the along-slope path of the California undercurrent

Longer (> 290 day) float missions often included offshore excursions into the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Thirty-one westward excursions of the Undercurrent were observed with a mean duration of 88 days and a mean offshore distance of 199 km. The character of the excursions varied but included offshore and onshore transport in jets, cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, and interaction with cold filaments. The longest excursion lasted 587 days and extended 1007 km to the west.