The Loop Current (LC) and its associated eddies, known as Loop Current Eddies (LCEs), are key oceanic features in the Gulf of Mexico. Using a statistical analysis of 29 years of satellite altimeter data (1993–2021), we show that more than half of the LCEs that detach from the LC reattach within 30 d and that only 42 % truly separate from the LC and move westward in the Gulf. Our observational analysis also shows that (i) befor...

This study presents oxygen data from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) deep-water region for the period 2010–2019 collected from six oceanographic cruises and two BioARGO buoys and compares them to historical measurements. These observations link the interannual variability of the oxygen concentrations in the main thermocline waters to the frequency of Loop Current eddy (LCE) detachments. These eddies introduce significant volumes of r...

The Loop Current is the main mesoscale feature of the Gulf of Mexico oceanic circulation. With peak velocities above 1.5 m s –1 , the Loop Current and its mesoscale eddies are of interest to fisheries, hurricane prediction and of special concern for the security of oil rig operations in the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore understanding their predictability is not only of scientific interest but also a major environmental securit...

The tragic accident of the Macondo platform operated by British Petroleum (BP) unleashed in 2010 one of the largest oil spills in history, lasting over three months, spilling nearly 500 million liters of oil in one of the most biodiverse ocean regions. This accident revealed the technological deficiencies for the control of a spill in deep waters of the hydrocarbon industry. Simultaneously it showed important gaps in knowledge...

The need to understand and forecast disasters driven by anthropogenic and natural forces in the Gulf of Mexico and to support management responses to hazardous events led policymakers, scientists, and industry representatives in Mexico to launch an ocean observation and modeling project (2015–2023) aimed at collecting multi-layered baseline information and continuous monitoring of the ocean environment across the southern Gulf...

Submarine groundwater discharge provides freshwater and nutrients to coastal environments. In some places throughout the world, this direct connection between aquifers and oceans may also allow saltwater intrusion. Saltwater intrusion was studied at a submarine spring within a fringing reef lagoon on the eastern Yucatán Peninsula by observing its intratidal and synoptic‐scale variations during wet and dry periods. Saltwater in...