An assessment of circulation in the northwest Gulf of Mexico by integrating satellite and in-situ datasets
- Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)
- Minerals Management Service, Herndon, VA (United States); and others
In this study, NOAA satellite sea-surface temperature measurements, TOPEX and ERS-1 sea-surface height anomalies, and surface drifter data were integrated to improve the understanding of circulation processes in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The tracks of 31 drifters deployed in October 1993 were studied in relation to the location of shelf fronts and warm-core and cold-core eddies. Three main circulation patterns were identified. Thirty-five percent of the drifters traveled downcoast (westward/southward) within the advected seaward along the northern flank of a warm-core eddy near 24{degrees}-25{degrees} N latitude. Another 35% moved westward onto the Texas shelf where they were entrained in an offshelf flow southeast of Matagorda Bay along the northern margin of a cold-core/warm-core eddy pair. About 15% were trapped in cyclonic motion on the Louisiana/Texas shelf. Drifter movement within the warm-core and cold-core eddies averaged 48 and 28 cm/s, respectively. Flow within the Louisiana/Texas coastal current averaged 20.2 cm/s. The results demonstrate that flow on the inner shelf parallels the coastal SST front but rarely crosses it, a discovery which has important implications for oil spill response in the region. The data also demonstrate the importance of eddy circulations to offshore entrainment of inner- and mid-shelf waters and shelf-slope exchange along the southern Texas and northern Mexico coastlines.
- OSTI ID:
- 478120
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970319--; CNN: Contract 14-35-0001-30632
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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