Gulf Snapshots — Showcasing Oceanic Changes in the Gulf of Mexico
Each week, GCOOS shares a snapshot of the Gulf of Mexico and its most relevant physical features, including sea surface temperatures, heat areas, upwellings, the Loop Current (LC) and the eddies that break off from it. These features are highly dynamic, and these snapshots show conditions relevant for those working (or planning to work) in the Gulf. They also provide important data to forecasters and modelers, especially during the Atlantic hurricane season.
The baseline picture is a satellite image composite of nighttime sea surface temperatures from GOES-16, band 7, developed at the Earth Scan Laboratory, Louisiana State University, by Director Dr. Nan Walker, who is also a GCOOS Board member and Professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, J. P. Morgan Distinguished Professor in Coastal Studies, College of the Coast and Environment.
The overlay showing sea surface height is developed by Dr. Robert Leben, Research Professor Emeritus in the Ann and H. J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) and a member of the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR). Walker and Leben are GCOOS principal investigators and GCOOS funds a portion of their work.
