For purposes of tracking flow from Tijuana River, the trajectories are only relevant when the river is both flowing and open to the ocean.
This display is not designed to measure or determine water quality at the coast but rather predict the movement of plumes from point sources.  For beach closures, please see the Beach Report Card (link to http://beachreportcard.org/)

Flow Rate

MGD = Millions of gallons per day. cm/s = Cubic meters per second.
MGD is a calculated value of an equivalent daily discharge rate based on the single reported discharge value at that time.

Plume Trajectory

See the article about us in the Union Tribune, “Huge waves at the Tijuana Sloughs are tempting, but dangerous Surfing” (2007-01-02) by Brad Melekian.

How are trajectories calculated?

This display shows the results of a particle tracking algorithm applied to hourly surface currents of water flow just offshore Tijuana River.  On an hourly basis, 100 particles are released at the river mouth and tracked for a 3 day period to provide a better estimate of where the Tijuana River plume (when flowing) may be impacting the coast. New positions within the region are updated hourly and the color of the particle represents the age of the particle since it was released. Example animations are available from CORDC Documents.

These graphical displays are intended to be experimental. While considerable effort has gone into ensuring the highest quality data, significant differences between measured currents and actual currents can occur. This information should not be used to make any navigational or other decisions that might endanger public safety or put anyone at significant risk. We reserve the right to ADD, CHANGE or DELETE any product WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE