Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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 Novem-
ber 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.
Plant & Animal Communities
B
IG
S
UR IS HOME TO A DIVERSE ARRAY
of plant communities and associated wildlife.
Botanists have long been fascinated by the proximity of northern and southern species
living beside one another along the region's steep-sided ridges, narrow valleys, deep
