Environmental Conditions

Meteorological Conditions September 4-18 2013

Data gathered from Tofino Airport was provided by the Government of Canada website. The gaps in data were due to sampling times only occurring between 5 am and 5 pm

Temperatures ranging from 9°C to 25°C from September 4th through the 18th in 2013. The maximum temperature occurred between September 10-12 at approximately 24°C and the minimum temperature occurred September 17th at approximately 8°C.

Pressure for September 2013 showed higher pressures at the beginning of the month with a max pressure around 1017mb on September 8th and a lower pressure system moving in mid-month with a minimum pressure around 1003mb. The low pressure system means there was bad weather coming through during that time.

The wind speed ranged from 0-35 km/hr in September 2013, with a maximum speed of 30 km/hr on September 16th and 17th with peak speeds typically occurring mid-day throughout the rest of the month

The wind direction showed varying directions through the observed days, with winds slowly rotating clockwise from morning to night. This wind movement reflects an onshore breeze up the inlets, and the warm air from the land rises in the afternoon.

Monthly Precipitation September 2013

Precipitation data for 2013 was gathered from the Tofino Airport, which was provided by the Government of Canada website and weather calender data was collected from Weather Underground.

There was a limited amount of precipitation at the beginning of the month, and increased quantities mid-month that continued throughout the rest of the month. The maximum amount of precipitation was on September 28th with over 50mm.

Average Climatological Conditions

Temperature and Precipitation data was collected from the Tofino Airport in 2013 and from 1981-2010 using the Government of Canada website.

The annual average temperature and precipitation data was collected from Meteoblue

The Sunlight data was collected from World Weather Online

The 30 year average precipitation from 1981-2010 showed the summer months with limited amounts of precipitation and the fall and winter months with increasing amounts, with the most precipitation in November and January. The months January, February, March, November and December show a snowfall accumulation from 1981-2010. The 2013 precipitation averages showed similar patterns with lower amounts of precipitation in the summer months and higher amounts in the fall and winter months.

Temperatures from 1981-2010 showed maximum values of approximately 19°C, and minimum temperatures of approximately 3°C. The average temperatures from these 30 years show a maximum of 15°C and a minimum of 5°C. In 2013, the maximum temperature was 19°C and the minimum temperature was approximately 2°C. The average temperature in 2013 showed a maximum of 15°C and a minimum of 4°C.

Average annual temperatures and precipitation reflect previous trends in showing that there is more precipitation and cooler temperatures in the fall and winter months (September - March) and less precipitation and warmer temperatures in the summer months of June, July and August.

The average amount of sunlight in Clayoquot Sound in 2013 showed over 200 hours of sunlight, and from June to October there was 300 or more hours of sunlight. The month with the most sunny days was July, and the next month was October.

Tofino Creek Daily Discharge (m³/sec) 2013

Tofino creek empties into the head of Tofino Inlet. In 2013 it had the highest discharge in March and the end of September. The lowest daily discharge occurred in summer between the end of June and late August.

Data provided by the Government of Canada.

Ginnard Creek Daily Discharge (m³/sec) 2013

Ginnard Creek is located on Meares Island and empties near the mouth of Tofino Inlet between stations 58 and 57. It discharges much less water than Tofino Creek with less than 1 m³/s discharged daily. Data included is only from the end of June until the end of December 2013. Out of the months sampled, it appeared to have the highest discharge in late August and mid September. It had the lowest discharge in late July, early November and Early December.

Data was taken from the B.C. Water Tool on the British Columbia website.

Coastal Oceanographic Data

c46206 Buoy Data 2013

Graphs below depict conditions along the west coast of Vancouver Island along the continental shelf. Graphs of sea surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, dry bulb temperature (atmospheric temperature), and wind speed depict conditions throughout 2013, then during the month of September 2013. Data for graphs and wind rose obtained from buoy c26406 located at 48.840 N 126.000 W.

Wind rose data depicts direction wind was coming from and strength throughout 2013. Note winds primarily run parallel to the coast.

Location of the c46206 buoy

Long-term Average Cumulative Upwelling Index

The following graph shows how upwelling and downwelling in 2013 compared to long-term averages and 2014. These processes are a function of wind speed from the southeast (downwelling) increasing water volume along the coast, forcing current surface water down, or from the northwest (upwelling), that move surface water away from the coast bringing water in the lower column up to the surface. Reduced wind speeds throughout 2013 resulted in overall diminished upwelling and downwelling. During downwelling season (late September to mid-April) significantly lower downwelling occurred, while upwelling season (late April to mid-September), slightly lower upwelling occurred compared to long-term averages in the region. This resulted in less vertical mixing of upper and lower waters.

Graph depicts long-term average upwelling, green lines within standard deviations. Units are in cubic meters per second per 100 meters of coastline. Created by Dr. Richard Dewey using the Bakun Index

Dewey R. 2016. The Blob Blog - Warm Northeast Pacific Ocean Conditions Continue (2016). Ocean Networks Canada:11.

CTD Data

The following graphs were created using data acquired by cruise CA-20127 between 8/2/2013 to 8/9/2013

Data acquired from Marine environmental data (dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

Map of sampling station locations along west coast Vancouver Island

Historical Lighthouse Data

Amphirite lighthouse is the closest lighthouse to Clayoquot Sound and below are surface water temperatures and salinity recorded on a daily basis in 2013.

Temperature range for 2013 was between 6 degrees Celsius to just over 16 degrees with the highest temperature occurring around September, and the coldest occurring around the end of the year. Salinity ranged from 23 PSU to 31 PSU. Salinity also remained fairly consistent throughout the year, showing no trends of it either increasing or decreasing.

Tidal Conditions 2013 - September 10th through 18th

Tidal conditions captured from Tofino, BC Canadian tidal gauge (#8615) Government Canada Website

Tides in Clayoquot Sound are typically mixed-semidiurnal. Based on data collected, the lowest tide was 0.58 m on the 13th and the highest low tide was 1.7 m on the 13th. The highest tide was 3.5 m high on the 18th and the lowest high tide was 2.7 m on the 13th.

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