Revealing the Gulf of Mexico's Deep Hidden Currents: Since 2011, BOEM has been sponsoring a study of deep circulation in the Gulf of Mexico to understand the patterns that carry pollutants or organic matter such as larvae and nutrients around this huge, complex ecosystem. Researchers are collecting data not just from the surface but also from more than a mile deep; from the Loop Current to currents closer to the coasts; and horizontal and vertical dispersion patterns. This film, produced by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a subcontractor to Leidos, shows in vivid detail how scientists are using 166 RAFOS tracking drifters to collect data from 1,500 to 2,500 meters below the surface. The research will provide information for BOEM to fulfill its regulatory mission and comply with oil spill risk analysis and other NEPA requirements. Data collection is expected to conclude this spring, followed by a BOEM final report in 2016.
- Ongoing Study - Lagrangian Study of the Deep Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico (GM-10-03)