Current measurements of the Alaska Coastal Current were analyzed for their mean structures and seasonal cycles. The current is westward (alongshore) at the surface, 25 to 175 cm s-1, with a baroclinic shear of 30 cm s-1 in the upper 70 m. The amplitude of the seasonal variation of the flow decreases with depth, and its maximum phase delay of 3 months occurs at 175 m relative to the surface. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle of the north-south (cross-shore) flow is a minimum at mid-depth. The phase of this seasonal cycle is also delayed at deeper depths, but the maximum shift relative to the surface occurs at 110 m rather than at the bottom (175 m). Empirical orthogonal function analysis indicates that the first mode of the alongshore flow has nearly constant amplitude with depth (barotropic variations) and is related to the east-west wind. The second mode explains significant variance of the surface current and the freshwater discharge. The cross-shore flow analysis shows that the first mode is again nearly barotropic and is principally related to the east-west wind, with increased southward flow when the winds are increased westward. The second mode of the cross-shore flow fluctuates with runoff such that the offshore flow at the surface and the onshore flow near to the bottom coincide with increased freshwater discharge. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1988