Open AccessDrifters help forecast Gulf of Mexico surface circulation
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo140016
Subject(s) - deepwater horizon , mesoscale meteorology , oil spill , oceanography , circulation (fluid dynamics) , ocean current , geology , gulf war , environmental science , climatology , meteorology , geography , history , petroleum engineering , engineering , aerospace engineering , economic history
During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists' understanding of the mesoscale surface circulation patterns of the Gulf of Mexico became a topic of great importance. With the oil slick growing, disaster response teams needed to know where to deploy. Many were concerned with the oil's ultimate destination—whether it would travel toward the Florida Keys and into the Atlantic Ocean or remain in the Gulf. The drivers of surface circulation patterns are varied, ranging from wind to internal waves to pressure and salinity gradients, and the task of forecasting the oil's motion was a challenge.