Satellite altimetry data (1993-2017) are used to describe the the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) Loop Current (LC) system. We use the delayed-time, merged/gridded 1/4° sea surface height (SSH) anomalies produced by AVISO+ (www.aviso.altimetry.fr/) and obtained from the E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information (http://marine.copernicus.eu/). A mean dynamic height of mdt_cnes_cls2013 is added to the sea level anomaly data, and annual cycles are removed to reduce the steric height effect. Geostrophic currents are computed from the gradient of the SSH. A quantitative assesment using the satellite-tracked drifter trajectory observations in the estern Gulf of Mexico show that the altimetry-derived current products performs better than the data assimilative numerical models in providing essential surface current information [Liu et al., 2014]. The altimetry product was used in a series of analyses of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current patterns by the USF Ocean Circulation Group [Alvera-Azcárate et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2016a] and the West Florida Shelf offshore forcing index [Liu et al., 2016b]. Recently, the altimetry data were used to study the West Florida Shelf's role of an anchor that affects the LC pentration into the GoM [Weisberg and Liu, 2017]. Characteristic patterns of the GOM LC patterns are summerized in recent analysis using the Self-Organizing Map. Snapshots of sea surface height and surface geostrophic currents are shown in movies below:
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(Last updated on 07/21/2017)