Читать книгу Hiking & Backpacking Big Sur. Your complete guide to the trails of Big Sur, Ventana Wilderness, and Silver Peak Wilderness онлайн

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Thick fog forms when westerly winds brought by the North Pacific High push cold ocean water inland, forcing warmer surface water offshore. Rich in nutrients from nearshore submarine canyons, the cold water wells to the surface, sustaining abundant marine life along the Big Sur coast. With temperatures in the low 50s Fahrenheit, it also makes a swim here brisk at best, even in summer. The cold water chills the air directly above it. When this cold water comes in contact with warm, moist air along the coast, water vapor condenses into fog.

In the wake of winter rains, fog retreats and grasslands and forests burst with new growth.

This pattern continues until late fall, when the sun strikes Earth farther south and the North Pacific High dissipates. No longer deflected by the high-pressure cell, the jet stream flows over California and brings with it strong winter storms. From November through April, California’s wet season, these storms batter the coastal ranges until the sun’s path again swings north to rebuild the North Pacific High.