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The Strait of Georgia is connected with the open ocean through narrow constrictions and shallow sills. The central Strait is relatively deep (highlighted in blue in the figure on the right), reaching water depth of more than 400 m, well below the depth of the sill at Boundary Pass. The deep water mass is then isolated from the ocean shelf waters for most of the year. However, deep water intrusions occasionally penetrate the deep basin, displacing the ambient water mass. These events are caused by the intrusion of dense water that flows over the sill at Boundary Pass, generating a gravity current that flows along the bottom, into the deep basin. The figure on the right shows the positions of four current meter moorings, AS01, AS02, AS03, and AS04, along with the long term hydrographic station of Nanoose Bay, NB. Data collected at these stations were used to study deep water renewal events.
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