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MEDIA CENTER
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BOOK SERIES
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CIRCULATION ABSTRACT
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INITIAL SURVEY
HRI BOOK SERIES
On the Circulation In and Around the Gulf of Mexico
VOLUME I - A Review of the Deep Water Circulation
by William J Schmitz Jr.
Shoreline Environmental Research Facility
Biographical Information
Curriculum Vitae
Abstract
This is the initial volume in a comparatively wide-ranging
review of present knowledge of the circulation processes
in the Gulf of Mexico. Volume I is focused on the
large-scale low-frequency deep-water current structures in
the Gulf, and on identifying in a preliminary way
interactions of these circulation patterns (typically
referred to as the general circulation) with the flow
regimes on continental shelves (typically referred to as
coastal circulations). Volume II is primarily concerned
with coastal circulations, including their remote forcing
and considering shelf-estuarine interactions. This review
will attempt to expose and synthesize the physical
oceanographic idea and publication base for the Gulf, as
an aid in becoming familiar with what has been done, and
not, what is known, and not known. The audience envisioned
would include scientists and engineers and students who
are specialists in other fields, perhaps especially marine
scientists in other disciplines, as well as members of the
general public with a technical inclination, and could be
used as a supplemental text. The results discussed and
synthesized and critiqued could also be of interest to
professional physical oceanographers. I began to seriously
examine publications connected to the oceanographic
context for South Texas when I retired here in 1997, and
to this end, the review is at its core a guide to material
that I have found useful myself in becoming familiar with
the Gulf, along with some new interpretation and
suggestions and perspective on my part. My prior
experience (A link to my resume is on this web site,
please click on my name on the cover page) as an
observational physical oceanographer was on large scale
ocean currents and eddies, including participation in
several inter-comparisons of observations with numerical
model results, a topic that this review will emphasize.
This volume is dedicated to the memory of Dana Thompson, a
special friend, a scholar of the Gulf of Mexico, physical
oceanographer and numerical modeler extraordinaire.
In
summary, two review Volumes (I and II) will be devoted to
a study of the open ocean and coastal
circulations in and around the Gulf of Mexico, along with
interactions between these flow regimes. The large-scale,
deep-water, low-frequency circulation in the Gulf is
dominated by the Loop Current and its eddy field, the
latter composed of a diverse population of anticyclones
and cyclones, including the collision products from
eddy-topographic interactions and also involving eddy-eddy
interactions. The reader should be advised that the data
base for the deep open Gulf is sparse compared to many
other locations. The coastal circulations are
qualitatively characterized by wind (local and remote) and
buoyancy forcing on the inner and middle continental
shelves, and by interactions with the open Gulf on the
outer shelf and shelf break. The continental slope and
rise regimes are transition areas. Some of the shelf
circulations are linked, and both downwelling and
upwelling coastal regimes are involved. An effort is made
to embed studies of the circulation of the Gulf of Mexico
within the context of similar activities in other areas,
especially within the framework of the circulation of the
sub-tropical and tropical North Atlantic Ocean, a topic
toward which Dr. J. Dana Thompson also made a significant
contribution, along with his investigations of the
physical oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico.
The topics to be covered and the approach used to pull this
all together (please see Table of Contents) reflect my
desire to develop ways for readers with a variety of
backgrounds and interests to access this review in a way
that is useful for them. The four chapters and six
appendices are configured with this in mind. Chapter 1 is
designed for readers with some scientific and technical
background who want a quick introductory look at the
characteristics of the General Circulation of the deep
Gulf of Mexico. Chapter 2 is for those who are interested
in the state of the art in research on the physical
oceanography of the Gulf. One unique feature of Chapter 2
is an emphasis on the relation between observations and
numerical model results. Chapter 3 is a reconnaissance of
some topics related to the relationship between the
general circulation of the Gulf and its coastal
circulations, as an introduction to Volume II, which has
coastal circulations as its priority. Chapter 4 is a
summary and overview of the material presented in Volume
I, containing suggestions for future work, presented for a
general audience. Appendices A and B, which contain and
discuss an extensive publication base, should be of
general use but perhaps especially for graduate students.
Appendix C will provide a state of the art look at how
numerical models relate to the data base in an overview
sense, but otherwise is primarily for specialists and
experts. Appendix D is a very basic view of how the large
scale circulation of the Gulf of Mexico fits into basin
and global circulation perspectives, written for a general
audience.
Please Note:
- This review and website are constantly being reviewed and revised.
- Comments are appreciated, please e-mail them to wschmitzjr@stx.rr.com.
- The material on this web site should be referenced when used, for instructions on how to cite this material,
click here.
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