Climatology of Ocean Features in the Gulf of Mexico Using Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

A climatology of various ocean features in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was developed using the combination of satellite remote sensing and in situ data that spanned periods as long as 32 years. Twelve separate statistics were created, some of which described characteristics of the Loop Current, while others are involved with warm core rings that separate from the Loop Current and cold core rings. These statistics examined the frequency with which the Loop Current was found in the GOM, the orientation of the Loop Current, the frequency of intrusion of Loop Current water onto the west Florida shelf and into the GOM common water region, ring separation period from the Loop Current, ring dissipation, ring speed, ring path, frequency of ring water in the western GOM, and the frequency of warm and cold core rings (WCRs and CCRs, respectively) in the GOM. The results indicate that CCRs were principally responsible for mass and heat redistribution in the eastern GOM (EGOM) and WCRs are responsible for mass and heat redistribution in the western GOM (WGOM). The average period for WCR separation from the Loop Current was 11 months and the range from 5 to 19 months. WCRs moved through the WGOM most often using the central path (i.e., their trajectory was found between 24° and 26°N latitude) and they decreased to about 55% of their initial size when they reach the western wall of the GOM. CCRs were most often found in the EGOM, and their frequency of occurrence in the EGOM surpassed that of WCRs anywhere in the GOM.