The NewsRoom
Release: #3886
Date: October 8, 2008
MMS Awards $5.5 Million to Study Gulf’s Loop
Current
The five-year study will focus
on learning more about the dynamics of the Loop Current in the
Eastern Gulf of Mexico through observations and numerical modeling.
The findings of the study will help MMS fulfill its regulatory
mission by providing information on how energetic currents may
interrupt oil production and change or affect the movement of oil
spills, including natural seeps from the ocean floor. Human
activities in the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal areas can also be
made safer with an increased understanding of the Loop Current.
“We
are very excited to have initiated this ground-breaking study,” said
MMS Director Randall Luthi. “MMS has spent $800 million over 25
years on environmental studies. The wealth of knowledge that MMS
scientists will discover during this study will greatly aid MMS in
securing our nation’s energy resources in an environmentally
responsible manner for future generations.”
Nine moorings, or anchored lines, will be placed in the Gulf waters
for approximately 30 months. The instruments attached to the
moorings will measure current strength, water temperature and
salinity levels.
Scientists from the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab
(AOML) will join SAIC to study the thermal structure of the Loop
Current and hope to use this data to more accurately forecast the
intensification of hurricanes entering the Gulf of Mexico. In
addition, scientists from Princeton University, the University of
Rhode Island, and the University of Colorado are part of the SAIC
team to carry out the state of the art modeling, deep ocean
circulation field observations and the remote sensing observations
for this study.
All
data from this study will be submitted to the National Oceanographic
Data Center and made available to other agencies and research
groups, including the National Hurricane Center, the U.S. Navy and
the oil and gas industry.
Contact:
Eileen Angelico
504-736-2595
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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Last Updated:
10/09/2008,
10:05 AM
Central Time
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