A comprehensive oceanographic data set was collected over the inner Scotian
Shelf in February 1996. Hydrographic observations reveal that the water pr
operties had typical wintertime distributions characterized by a two-layer
system: relatively cold and fresh surface water overlying warmer and saltie
r bottom water. The moored current measurements imply a persistent southwes
tward surface-intensified flow, consistent with previous studies. We follow
Thompson and Sheng (J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 24 987) and use a linear s
tatistical model to hindcast the time-varying shelf response to local wind
and remotely generated free waves propagating along the shelf. The wind is
assumed to be spatially uniform and equal to that observed at Sable Island.
The remote forcing is represented by subtidal sea level observations at Ha
lifax after removal of local wind and density effects. Sable Island stress,
on average, accounts for about 25% of the subtidal current variance. Sable
Island wind and Halifax sea level together account for about 50% of the va
riance. The vertical shears in the mean alongshore currents agree reasonabl
y well with the thermal wind relationship, indicating the importance of bar
oclinic effects during this period. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ
ts reserved.