USA - Gulf of Mexico

Guide/Book Page

USA - Gulf of Mexico

About the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. It is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. The shape of its basin is roughly oval and approximately 810 nautical miles (1,500 km) wide and filled with sedimentary rocks and debris. It is part of the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits between the U.S. and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea (with which it forms the American Mediterranean Sea) via the Yucatan Channel between Mexico and Cuba. Tidal ranges are extremely small due to the narrow connection with the ocean. The gulf basin is approximately 615,000 mi² (1.6 million km²). Almost half of the basin is shallow intertidal waters. At its deepest it is 14,383 ft (4,384 m) at the Sigsbee Deep, an irregular trough more than 300 nautical miles (550 km) long.

The Gulf of Mexico's eastern, north, and northwestern shores lie along the US states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. This coastline spans 1,630 miles (2,620 km), receiving water from thirty-three major rivers that drain 31 states.[4] The Gulf's southwestern and southern shores lie along the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and the northernmost tip of Quintana Roo. On the southeast it is bordered by Cuba. It supports major American, Mexican and Cuban fishing industries. The outer margins of the wide continental shelves of Yucatán and Florida receive cooler, nutrient-enriched waters from the deep by a process known as upwelling, which stimulates plankton growth in the euphotic zone. This attracts fish, shrimp, and squid. River drainage and atmospheric fallout from industrial coastal cities also provide nutrients to the coastal zone.

The Gulf Stream, a warm Atlantic Ocean current and one of the strongest ocean currents known, originates in the gulf, as a continuation of the Caribbean Current-Yucatán Current-Loop Current system. Other circulation features include the anticyclonic gyres which are shed by the Loop Current and travel westward where they eventually dissipate, and a permanent cyclonic gyre in the Bay of Campeche. The Bay of Campeche in Mexico constitutes a major arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the gulf's shoreline is fringed by numerous bays and smaller inlets. A number of rivers empty into the gulf, most notably the Mississippi River in the northern gulf, and the Grijalva and Usumacinta Rivers in the southern gulf. The land that forms the gulf's coast, including many long, narrow barrier islands, is almost uniformly low-lying and is characterized by marshes and swamps as well as stretches of sandy beach.

The Gulf of Mexico is an excellent example of a passive margin. The continental shelf is quite wide at most points along the coast, most notably at the Florida and Yucatán Peninsulas. The shelf is exploited for its oil by means of offshore drilling rigs, most of which are situated in the western gulf and in the Bay of Campeche. Another important commercial activity is fishing; major catches include red snapper, amberjack, tilefish, swordfish, and various grouper, as well as shrimp and crabs. Oysters are also harvested on a large scale from many of the bays and sounds. Other important industries along the coast include shipping, petrochemical processing and storage, military use, paper manufacture, and tourism.

The gulf's warm water temperature can feed powerful Atlantic hurricanes causing extensive human death and other destruction as happened with Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the Atlantic, a hurricane will draw up cool water from the depths and making it less likely that further hurricanes will follow in its wake (warm water being one of the preconditions necessary for their formation). However, the Gulf is shallower and its entire water column is warm. When a hurricane passes over, although the water temperature may drop it soon rebounds and becomes capable of supporting another tropical storm.
[courtesy Gulf of Mexico at Wikipedia]

Cruising guide to the Southern United States (Gulf of Mexico and other waters)

Free online Marine charts:

Nautical Charts - Gulf Coast

Weather:

United States Weather
The current Forecast for North America
National Hurricane Center

Marine Forecasts:

Gulf of Mexico
Gulf Coast Marine Forecasts by Zone
USA Florida

Current Buoy Observations - Gulf Coast - USA:

Florida and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Recent Marine Data

NWS marine radiofax charts for the United States:

GULF of MEXICO, CARIB, TROP ATLANTIC, and SE PAC (New Orleans/NMG)

Currents - Gulf of Mexico - USA (free online):

2008 Tidal Current Predictions USA

Alabama
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi
Texas

Tides - Gulf Coast - USA (free online):

2008 Water Level Tidal Predictions U.S.A.

Alabama
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi
Texas

YOU CAN COMMENT BELOW ABOUT BOATING SPOTS, OR GIVE TIPS FOR CRUISING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO!

Registered YachtPals: you can also edit this page to add general information about cruising in the Southern United States, or "add a child page" to this guide (link near bottom of this page) to make a new cruising guide page with information about cruising in the Gulf of Mexico, or other southern waters.