Abstract
The Loop Current (LC) system controls the connectivity between the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region and the Straits of Florida. The evolution of the LC and the shedding sequence of the LC anticyclonic ring (Eddy Franklin) were crucial for the fate of the hydrocarbons released during the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill in 2010. In a previous study, we identified LC-related anticyclonic eddies in the southern GoM, named “Cuba anticyclones” (“CubANs”). Here, we investigate the relation between these eddies and LC evolution in 2010, focusing on the DwH period. We use high-resolution model results in tandem with observational data to describe the connection between the LC system evolution within the GoM (LC extensions, Eddy Franklin and LC Frontal Eddies—LCFEs) and the mesoscale dynamics within the Straits of Florida where CubANs propagate. Five periods of CubAN eddy activity were identified during the oil spill period, featuring different formation processes under a combination of local and regional conditions. Most of these cases are related to the retracted LC phases, when the major LC anticyclone (Eddy Franklin in 2010) is detached from the main body and CubAN eddy activity is most likely. However, two cases of CubAN eddy presence during elongated LC were detected, which led to the attenuation of the eastward flows of warm waters through the Straits (Florida Current; outflow), allowing the stronger supply of Caribbean waters through the Yucatan Channel into the Gulf (inflow), which contributed to short-term LC northward extensions. Oceanographic (LCFEs) and meteorological (wind-induced upwelling) conditions contributed to the release of CubANs from the main LC body, which, in tandem with other processes, contributed to the LC evolution during the DwH oil spill incident.
Highlights
The Deepwater Horizon (DwH) accident on 20 April 2010 was the largest accidental offshore oil spill in history, with about 600,000 tons of crude oil released in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) [1]
The shedding of the anticyclonic Loop Current (LC) ring Franklin [3] and the simultaneous evolution of cyclonic LC Frontal Eddies (LCFEs) [4] interrupted the direct connection between the northern Gulf and the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean, a few surface oil slicks were entrained in the LC system from mid- to late May [2]; drifters deployed at the eastern edge of the LC at the end of May were advected around Eddy Franklin after its detachment rather than following the main
Three novel questions are examined in the present study: (1) To what extent did the formation of Cuba anticyclones” (CubANs) influence the Florida Current (FC) variability and, the basin-wide LC evolution during the DwH period? (2) What was the specific role of these processes in the evolution of Eddy Franklin? and (3) Which oceanographic and meteorological conditions determined the formation and evolution of CubANs during the summer of 2010? The broader goal of this study is to better understand the linkages between basin-wide GoM physical connectivity and processes in the southeastern GoM, with emphasis on the northwestern Cuba region and the western Straits of Florida
Summary
The Deepwater Horizon (DwH) accident on 20 April 2010 was the largest accidental offshore oil spill in history, with about 600,000 tons of crude oil released in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) [1]. The shedding of the anticyclonic LC ring ( called LC Eddy, LCE) Franklin [3] and the simultaneous evolution of cyclonic LC Frontal Eddies (LCFEs) [4] interrupted the direct connection between the northern Gulf and the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean, a few surface oil slicks were entrained in the LC system from mid- to late May [2]; drifters deployed at the eastern edge of the LC at the end of May were advected around Eddy Franklin after its detachment (full circle in 10 days) rather than following the main. The formation of the ring in late May effectively shut down the possibility of vast amounts of oil moving southward during this particular incident
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
