Evolution of the Loop Current System During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Event as Observed With Drifters and Satellites

Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record Breaking Enterprise

Volumn , Issue , 2013, Pages 91-101

  Liu, Yonggang ^a   Weisberg, Robert H ^a   Hu, Chuanmin ^a   Kovach, Charles ^b   Riethmüller, Rolf ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA   (United States)

^b FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION   (United States)

^c INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS RESEARCH   (Germany)

Author keywords

Altimetry; Drifters; Gulf of Mexico; Loop Current; Ocean color index; Oil spill

Indexed keywords

OCEAN CURRENTS; OIL SPILLS; SURFACE WATERS;

ALTIMETRY; DRIFTERS; GULF OF MEXICO; LOOP CURRENT; OCEAN COLOR;

MARINE POLLUTION;

EID: 84951741046     PISSN: None     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book    
DOI: 10.1029/2011GM001127     Document Type: Chapter

References (74)

1. Alvera-Azcárate, A., A. Barth, and R. H. Weisberg (2009), The surface circulation of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico as inferred from satellite altimetry, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 39, 640-657.
2. Boicourt, W. C., W. J. Wiseman Jr., A. Valle-Levinson, and L. P. Atkinson (1998), Continental shelf of the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico: In the shadow of the western boundary current, in The Sea, edited by A. R. Robinson and K. H. Brink, pp. 135-181, John Wiley, New York.
3. Chassignet, E. P., and Z. D. Garraffo (2001), Viscosity parameterization and the gulf stream separation, in From Stirring to Mixing in a Stratified Ocean: Proc. 'Aha Huliko' a Hawaiian Winter Workshop, pp. 39-43, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu.
4. Chérubin, L. M., Y. Morel, and E. P. Chassignet (2006), Loop Current ring shedding: The formation of cyclones and the effect of topography, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36(4), 569-591.
5. DiMarco, S. F., W. D. Nowlin Jr., and R. O. Reid (2005), A statistical description of the velocity fields from upper ocean drifters in the Gulf of Mexico, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernández, pp. 101-110, AGU, Washington, D. C.
6. Donlon, C. J., et al. (2009), The GODAE high-resolution sea surface temperature pilot project, Oceanography, 22(3), 34-45. doi:10.5670/oceanog.2009.64.
7. Elliott, B. A. (1982), Anticyclonic rings in the Gulf of Mexico, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 12(11), 1292-1309.
8. Glenn, S. M., and C. C. Ebbesmeyer (1993), Drifting buoy observations of a Loop Current anticyclonic eddy, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 20,105-20,119.
9. Hamilton, P. (2007), Eddy statistics from Lagrangian drifters and hydrography for the northern Gulf of Mexico slope, J. Geophys. Res., 112, C09002, doi:10.1029/2006JC003988.
10. Hamilton, P., G. S. Fargion, and D. C. Biggs (1999), Loop Current eddy paths in the western Gulf of Mexico, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 29, 1180-1207.
11. Hamilton, P., K. A. Donohue, R. R. Leben, A. Lugo-Fernández, and R. E. Green (2011), Loop Current observations during spring and summer of 2010: Description and historical perspective, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10.1029/2011GM001116, this volume.
12. He, R., and R. H. Weisberg (2002), West Florida shelf circulation and temperature budget for the 1999 spring transition, Cont. Shelf Res., 22, 719-748.
13. He, R., and R. H. Weisberg (2003a), West Florida shelf circulation and temperature budget for the 1998 fall transition, Cont. Shelf Res., 23, 777-800.
14. He, R., and R. H. Weisberg (2003b), A Loop Current intrusion case study on the West Florida Shelf, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 33, 465-477.
15. Hu, C. (2011), An empirical approach to derive MODIS ocean color patterns under severe sun glint, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L01603, doi:10.1029/2010GL045422.
16. Hu, C., F. E. Müller-Karger, C. Taylor, D. Myhre, B. Murch, A. L. Odriozola, and G. Godoy (2003), MODIS detects oil spills in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, Eos Trans. AGU, 84(33), 313, doi:10.1029/2003EO330002.
17. Hu, C., X. Li, W. G. Pichel, and F. E. Muller-Karger (2009), Detection of natural oil slicks in the NW Gulf of Mexico using MODIS imagery, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L01604, doi:10.1029/2008GL036119.
18. Hu, C., R. H.Weisberg, Y. Liu, L. Zheng, K. L. Daly, D. C. English, J. Zhao, and G. A. Vargo (2011), Did the northeastern Gulf of Mexico become greener after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L09601, doi:10.1029/2011GL047184.
19. Huh, O. K. ,W. J.Wiseman Jr., and L. J. Rouse Jr. (1981), Intrusion of Loop Current waters onto the west Florida continental shelf, J. Geophys. Res., 86, 4186-4192.
20. Hyun, K. H., and P. J. Hogan (2008), Topographic effects on the path and evolution of Loop Current Eddies, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C12026, doi:10.1029/2007JC004155.
21. Jacobs, G. A., and R. Leben (1990), Loop Current eddy shedding estimates using Geosat altimeter data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 17, 2385-2388.
22. Ji, Z.-G., W. R. Johnson, and Z. Li (2011), Oil Spill Risk Analysis model and its application to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using the historical current and wind data, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10.1029/2011GM 001117, this volume.
23. Johnson, W. R. (2005), Movies of surface drifters in the northern Gulf of Mexico, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernández, p. 157, AGU, Washington, D. C.
24. Jolliff, J. K., J. C. Kindle, B. Penta, R. Helber, Z. Lee, I. Shulman, R. Arnone, and C. D. Rowley (2008), On the relationship between satellite-estimated bio-optical and thermal properties in the Gulf of Mexico, J. Geophys. Res., 113, G01024, doi:10.1029/2006JG000373.
25. Jones, C. E., B. Minchew, B. Holt, and S. Hensley (2011), Studies of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill with the UAVSAR radar, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10. 1029/2011GM001113, this volume.
26. Kirwan, A. D., Jr., J. K. Lewis, A. W. Indest, P. Reinersman, and I. Quintero (1988), Observed and simulated kinematic properties of loop current rings, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 1189-1198.
27. Kuznetsov, L., M. Toner, A. D. Kirwan, C. K. R. T. Jones, L. Kantha, and J. Choi (2002), The Loop Current and adjacent rings delineated by Lagrangian analysis of the near surface flow, J. Mar. Res., 60, 405-429.
28. Leben, R. R. (2005), Altimeter-derived Loop Current metrics, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernández, pp. 181-201, AGU, Washington, D. C.
29. Leben, R. R., and G. Born (1993), Tracking Loop Current eddies with satellite altimetry, Adv. Space Res., 13, 325-333.
30. Lewis, J. K., and A. D. Kirwan Jr. (1987), Genesis of a Gulf of Mexico ring as determined from kinematic analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 92(C11), 11,727-11,740.
31. Liu, A. K., S. Y. Wu,W. Y. Teng, and W. G. Pichel (2000), Wavelet analysis of SAR images for coastal monitoring, Can. J. Remote Sens., 26(6), 494-500.
32. Liu, Y., and R. H. Weisberg (2005), Patterns of ocean current variability on the West Florida Shelf using the self-organizing map, J. Geophys. Res., 110, C06003, doi:10.1029/2004JC 002786.
33. Liu, Y., and R. H. Weisberg (2007), Ocean currents and sea surface heights estimated across the West Florida Shelf, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 37, 1697-1713, doi:10.1175/JPO3083.1.
34. Liu, Y., and R. H. Weisberg (2011), Evaluation of trajectory modeling in different dynamic regions using normalized cumulative Lagrangian separation, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C09013, doi:10. 1029/2010JC006837.
35. Liu, Y., R. H.Weisberg, and Y. Yuan (2008), Patterns of upper layer circulation variability in the South China Sea from satellite altimetry using the Self- Organizing Map, Acta Oceanol. Sin., 27 (Suppl.), 129-144.
36. Liu, Y., R. H. Weisberg, C. Hu, and L. Zheng (2011), Tracking the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: A modeling perspective, Eos Trans. AGU, 92(6), 45, doi:10.1029/2011EO060001.
37. Liu, Y., R. H. Weisberg, C. Hu, and L. Zheng (2011), Trajectory forecast as a rapid response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10. 1029/2011GM001121, this volume.
38. Lugo-Fernández, A. (2007), Is the Loop Current a chaotic oscillator?, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 37(6), 1455-1469.
39. Lugo-Fernández, A., and R. R. Leben (2010), On the linear relationship between Loop Current retreat latitude and eddy separation period, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 40, 2778-2784.
40. Lugo-Fernández, A., K. J. P. Deslarzes, J. M. Price, G. S. Boland, and M. V. Morin (2001), Inferring probable dispersal of Flower Garden Banks coral larvae (Gulf of Mexico) using observed and simulated drifter trajectories, Cont. Shelf Res., 21, 47-67.
41. Maul, G. A., D. A. Mayer, and S. R. Baig (1985), Comparisons between a continuous 3-year current-meter observation at the sill of the Yucatan Strait, satellite measurements of Gulf Loop Current area, and regional sea level, J. Geophys. Res., 90(C5), 9089-9096.
42. Molinari, R. L., S. Baig, D. W. Behringer, G. A. Maul, and R. Legeckis (1977), Winter intrusions of the Loop Current, Science, 198, 505-506.
43. Morey, S. L., J. Zavala-Hidalgo, and J. J. O'Brien (2005), The seasonal variability of continental shelf circulation in the northern and western Gulf of Mexico from a high resolution numerical model, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernandez, pp. 203-218, AGU, Washington, D. C.
44. Müller-Karger, F. E., J. J. Walsh, R. H. Evans, and M. B. Meyers (1991), On the seasonal phytoplankton concentration and sea surface temperature cycles of the Gulf of Mexico as determined by satellites, J. Geophys. Res., 96(C7), 12,645-12,665, doi:10. 1029/91JC00787.
45. Oey, L.-Y., T. Ezer, and H.-C. Lee (2005), Loop Current, rings and related circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: a A review of numerical models and future challenges, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernández, pp. 31-56, AGU, Washington, D. C.
46. Ohlmann, J. C., and P. P. Niiler (2005), Circulation over the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Prog. Oceanogr., 64, 45-81, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2005.02.001.
47. Ohlmann, J. C., P. P. Niiler, C. A. Fox, and R. R. Leben (2001), Eddy energy and shelf interactions in the Gulf of Mexico, J. Geophys. Res., 106(C2), 2605-2620.
48. Paluszkiewicz, K., L. Atkinson, E. Posmentier, and C. McClain (1983), Observations of a Loop Current frontal eddy intrusion onto the west Florida shelf, J. Geophys. Res., 88(C14), 9639-9651.
49. Pascual, A., Y. Faugère, G. Larnicol, and P.-Y. Le Traon (2006), Improved description of the ocean mesoscale variability by combining four satellite altimeters, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L02611, doi:10.1029/2005GL024633.
50. Price, J. M., M. Reed, M. K. Howard,W. R. Johnson, Z.-G. Ji, C. F. Marshall, N. L. Guinasso Jr., and G. B. Rainey (2006), Preliminary assessment of an oil-spill trajectory model using satellitetracked, oil-spill-simulating drifters, Environ. Modell. Software, 21, 258-270.
51. Rivas, D., A. Badan, J. Sheinbaum, J. Ochoa, and J. Candela (2008), Vertical velocity and vertical heat flux observed within Loop Current eddies in the central Gulf of Mexico, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 38(11), 2461-2481, doi:10.1175/2008JPO3755.1.
52. Ryan, J. P., Y. Zhang, H. Thomas, E. V. Rienecker, R. K. Nelson, and S. R. Cummings (2011), A high-resolution survey of a deep hydrocarbon plume in the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 Macondo blowout, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10.1029/2011GM001106, this volume.
53. Schmitz,W. J., Jr., D. C. Biggs, A. Lugo-Fernández, L.-Y. Oey, and W. Sturges (2005), A synopsis of the circulation in the Gulf of Mexico and on its continental margins, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernández, pp. 11-29, AGU, Washington, D. C.
54. Shay, L. K., B. Jaimes, J. K. Brewster, P. Meyers, E. C. McCaskill, E. Uhlhorn, F. Marks, G. R. Halliwell Jr., O. M. Smedstad, and P. Hogan (2011), Airborne ocean surveys of the Loop Current complex from NOAA WP-3D in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10.1029/2011GM001101, this volume.
55. Stark, J. D., C. J. Donlon, M. J. Martin, and M. E. McCulloch (2007), OSTIA: An operational, high resolution, real time, global sea surface temperature analysis system, in Oceans'07 IEEE Conference Proceedings on Marine Challenges: Coastline to Deep Sea, pp. 1-4, IEEE, Aberdeen, Scotland.
56. Sturges, W. (1994), The frequency of ring separations from the Loop Current, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 24(7), 1647-1651.
57. Sturges, W., and R. R. Leben (2000), Frequency of ring separations from the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico: a revised estimate, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 30(7), 1814-1819.
58. Sturges, W., and A. Lugo-Fernandez (Eds.) (2005), Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, 347 pp., AGU, Washington, D. C.
59. Sturges, W., J. C. Evans, S. Welsh, and W. Holland (1993), Separation of warm-core rings in the Gulf of Mexico, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 23, 250-268.
60. Sturges, W., N. G. Hoffmann, and R. R. Leben (2010), A trigger mechanism for Loop Current ring separations, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 40, 900-913, doi:10.1175/2009JPO4245.1.
61. Toner, M., A. D. Kirwan Jr., L. H. Kantha, and J. K. Choi (2001), Can general circulation models be assessed and their output enhanced with drifter data?, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 19,563-19,579, doi:10.1029/2000JC000587.
62. Vignudelli, S., A. G. Kostianoy, P. Cipollini, and J. Benveniste (2011), Coastal Altimetry, 1st ed., 680 pp., Springer, New York, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-12796-0.
63. Vukovich, F. M. (1995), An updated evaluation of the Loop Current's eddy-shedding frequency, J. Geophys. Res., 100(5), 8655-8659.
64. Vukovich, F. M. (2007), Climatology of ocean features in the Gulf of Mexico using satellite remote sensing data, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 37(3), 689-707.
65. Vukovich, F. M., and G. A. Maul (1985), Cyclonic eddies in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 15, 105-117.
66. Wade, T. L., S. T. Sweet, J. N. Walpert, J. L. Sericano, J. J. Singer, and N. L. Guinasso Jr. (2011), Evaluation of possible inputs of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill to the Loop Current and associated eddies in the Gulf of Mexico, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10.1029/2011GM 001095, this volume.
67. Walker, N., S. Myint, A. Babin, and A. Haag (2003), Advances in satellite radiometry for the surveillance of surface temperatures, ocean eddies and upwelling processes in the Gulf of Mexico using GOES-8 measurements during summer, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(16), 1854, doi:10.1029/2003GL017555.
68. Walker, N. D., et al. (2011), Impacts of Loop Current frontal cyclonic eddies and wind forcing on the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, in Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., doi:10.1029/2011GM001120, this volume.
69. Weisberg, R. H. (2011), Coastal ocean pollution, water quality and ecology: A commentary, Mar. Technol. Soc. J., 45(2), 35-42.
70. Weisberg, R. H., and R. He (2003), Local and deep-ocean forcing contributions to anomalous water properties on the West Florida Shelf, J. Geophys. Res., 108(C6), 3184, doi:10.1029/2002JC 001407.
71. Weisberg, R. H., R. He, Y. Liu, and J. Virmani (2005),West Florida shelf circulation on synoptic, seasonal, and inter-annual time scales, in Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 161, edited by W. Sturges and A. Lugo-Fernández, pp. 325-347, AGU, Washington, D. C.
72. Weisberg, R. H., A. Barth, A. Alvera-Azcárate, and L. Zheng (2009a), A coordinated coastal ocean observing and modeling system for the West Florida Shelf, Harmful Algae, 8, 585-598.
73. Weisberg, R. H., Y. Liu, and D. Mayer (2009b), West Florida Shelf mean circulation observed with long-term moorings. Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L19610, doi:10.1029/2009GL040028.
74. Welsh, S. E., and M. Inoue (2000), Loop Current rings and deep circulation in the Gulf of Mexico, J. Geophys. Res., 105(C7), 16,951-16,959.