Coastal dynamics off Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, México

Cabo Pulmo is the one of the few coral reefs of the Mexican Pacific. It is located to the north of the Tropic of Cancer (at 23.5° N) and therefore formally in the subtropical region. It is part of the Gulf of California but its location near the tip of the Peninsula pose questions about the exchange of properties with the neighboring Pacific Ocean, some of which will be addressed here. It was declared National Park in 1995. Since then it became a no-take zone and a nature reserve for the preservation of the large variety of species found there. We report results based on meteorological and hydrographic observations as well as current measurements gathered between October 2010 and February 2012. These results include the presence of coastal currents forced by the tide, the wind and remote forcing. We believe the latter are associated, sometimes, to the mesoscale circulation of the entrance to the Gulf of California and, at other times, to coastal jets coming from the interior of the Gulf. We use displacement diagrams to discuss the trends of the residual circulation along the coast. During autumn, winter and even in spring the residual coastal flow is towards the Equator. This is attributed to the influence of the Northwesterly winds that blow over the Gulf of California in these months. It is in summer that the coastal residual circulation exhibits a poleward component being more intense during Southeasterly wind events. Finally, we present evidence of coastal exchange with the Pacific Ocean in the form of an intense jet. This coastal jet flows equatorward past Cabo Pulmo, continues towards the Pacific side of the Peninsula and generates offshore filaments when turning the cape.