Why is the Ocean in the Outer Banks so Cold?

That is the question that has crossed many people’s lips on the Outer Banks in the last couple days.  A couple days of winds out of the west have left the ocean water of the beaches of the OBX in the low 60′s.  As of this morning the Duck FRF, was showing temperatures of 61.  The winds effect is known as upwelling.  Upwelling occurs in the Outer Banks when the winds from the west blow the warm surface watere back and it is replaced by the colder water underneath.  For a more complete explanation here is is explain by 2 scientist from NOAA.

Winds powerfully affect the oceans and are an important force in creating currents. From global circulation of entire oceans to microscopic patterns of turbulence, winds move water and its resident animals and plants in complex and interesting patterns.

When the wind blows parallel to the coastline, an intriguing and biologically important event occurs. Affected by the rotation of the earth, winds can move water at right angles to the direction the wind is blowing, a phenomenon known as the Coriolis effect. Along a coastline oriented North-South, like much of the west coast of the U.S., winds that blow from the north tend to drive ocean surface currents to the right of the wind direction, thus pushing surface waters offshore. As surface waters are pushed offshore, water is drawn from below to replace them. The upward movement of this deep, colder water is called upwelling.