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Satellite sea surface temperature maps showing cold water (blue) near the coast and warmer water (red) offshore during summer upwelling (left panel). The coastal water is 11 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the offshore water. During winter, the situation is reversed with warm water nearshore off the Oregon and northern California coasts (right panel). The inshore (red) water is now 5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the offshore (green) water. The cold (blue) winter outflow of the Columbia River is evident in the March 1996 satellite image. Winds for 1995 and 1996 are shown in the top panels where daily sticks point toward the direction the wind is blowing and their length indicates the strength of the wind. Typical southward, upwelling favorable winds occur in the spring and summer and northward, downwelling favorable winds occur in the late fall and winter.