U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
Special Information
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U.S. Department of the Interior Special Information |
| June 2005 |
Contact: Dr. Joe Trahan Debra Winbush |
Climatology of Ocean Features in the Gulf of Mexico, Final Report
The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, announces the availability of a new study report, Climatology of Ocean Features in the Gulf of Mexico, Final Report.
The climatology of certain ocean features in the Gulf of Mexico described in this report was developed using datasets that span long periods (as long as 32 years in some cases) to create climatological statistics. Twelve separate statistics were created, some of which described characteristics of the Loop Current, while others were involved with warm-core eddies that separate from the Loop Current and cold-core eddies. The data resources used to create this climatology included analyzed in-situ data from ships of opportunity, from field programs in the Gulf of Mexico, and from the projects managed by the various oil and gas companies. However, the principal data used for this study were satellite remote-sensing data including sea-surface temperature, ocean color, and sea surface height. These data were used to develop ocean front analyses in the Gulf of Mexico, which provided the “characteristic” position of the fronts for a given month. It is expected that these statistics and the related interpretation and discussion of Gulf of Mexico ocean climatology included in this report will be useful in planning field programs, to marine biologists, to oceanographers, as background information for environmental impact statements, in evaluating and directing improvements for models that calculate the ocean dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico, and for oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
This report is available only in compact disc format from the Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, at a charge of $15.00, by referencing OCS Study MMS 2005-031. The report may be ordered through the Minerals Management Service’s on-line ordering system at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/WebStore/front.asp. You will be able to obtain this report also from the National Technical Information Service in the near future. Here are the addresses. You may also inspect copies at selected Federal Depository Libraries.
Minerals Management Service |
U.S. Department of Commerce
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MMS, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, oversees 1.76 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, managing offshore energy and minerals while protecting the human, marine, and coastal environments through advanced science and technology research. The OCS provides 30 percent of oil and 21 percent of natural gas produced domestically, and sand used for coastal restoration. MMS’s collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian lands, with Fiscal Year 2004 disbursements of approximately $8 billion and more than $143 billion since 1982. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which pays for cooperative conservation, grants to states, and Federal land acquisition, gets nearly $1 billion a year.
MMS Main Website: www.mms.gov
Gulf of Mexico Website:
www.gomr.mms.gov
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