OC4331-Mesoscale Oceanography
Final Project Summary
Topic Area
Loop Current and shed eddies of the Gulf of Mexico

Project Team Member(s)

LT Greg Ireton, USN

Major Findings

There are two dominant semi-permanent features of the circulation in the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX or GOM): the intense loop current system and the anticyclonic cell of circulation in the eastern gulf.   These are well-known and highly studied mesoscale features in the Gulf of Mexico. Colorado Center of Astrodynamics Research Dept of Aerospace Engineering Sciences University of Colorado, Boulder. and Florida State University are leading research institutions that are engaged in day-to-day studies of these features, (among others).

The loop current and the warm-core rings that are shed every 9-13 months are presented. Their formation and separation from the loop current will be discussed. The general circulation, variability, and comparisons of these features is shown based on data from the above two universities, along with altimetry data from a small research company in Santa Rosa, CA, called Remote Sensing Systems. Additionally, the Bryan-Cox model used to predict the loop current and shed eddies are presented.

References
Biggs, D.C. and F.E. Muller-Karger, 1994. "Ship and satellite observations of chlorophyll stocks in interacting cyclone-anticyclone eddy pairs in the western Gulf of Mexico." J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 99, 7,371-7,384.

Elliott, B.A., 1982. "Anticyclonic Rings in the Gulf of Mexico." J. Phys. Oceanogr., Vol. 12, 1292-1309.

Olson, D.B., 1991. “Rings in the Ocean.” Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. Vol. 19, 283-311.

Sturges, W., J.C. Evans, S. Welsh, and W. Holland, 1993. "Separation of Warm-Core Rings in the Gulf of Mexico." J. Phys. Oceanogr., Vol. 23, 250-268.

http://www_ccar.Colorado.edu/research/gom/html/gom_nrt.html

http://ocean.fsu.edu/oce/gom

http://www.ssmi.com/tmiregions.html
 
 
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