11 Facts You Should Know. Because this continental shelf is easily accessible, the Gulf of Mexico is exploited for oil with offshore oil drilling rigs centered in the Bay of Campeche and the western Gulf region. Observe fireboat responding to crews battling the fire during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, See how wire entanglement inside a well bore mitigates the effects of blowout preventer failure in an oil well. Lines of underwater microphones pulled along the surface behind the ship record how long it takes the reflected waves to reach them, data that can then be translated into topography. When did the Deepwater Horizon oil spill happen? The Gulf of Mexico (Golfo de Mxico in Spanish) is located in the Atlantic Ocean, and the majority of it is bordered by the United States and Mexico. Fishermen found Heather Strickland's body in a trash bag miles off the coast of Pinellas County, Florida, in December 2022. The narrow subtropical sea is 1,130km (700 miles) long and 80-209km (50-130 miles) wide. For over 10 years, scientists and researchers have come a long way in restoring, recovering, and researching the . [3] The actual maximum depth is disputed and estimates range between 3,750 and 4,384 metres (12,303 and 14,383 ft). Fishing is also an important industry and the economies of many states that lie along the Gulf of Mexico are driven by the fishing industry. Corrections? Data gathered by oil exploration companies was combined to create the highest resolution map ever made of the area. It contains about 2,500 quadrillion liters of saltwater. You can try your hand at the pirates life with an adventure on a pirate ship cruise in Orange Beach. Thus, in 1559, Tristn de Luna y Arellano landed at Pensacola Bay and established a settlement. The average depth of the Gulf is roughly 5,200 feet, but other parts of the Gulf of Mexico are surprisingly deep. Recreational and commercial fishing, water sports, scuba diving, and tourism also forms a significant part of the economy of the surrounding areas. Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also called Gulf of Mexico oil spill, largest marine oil spill in history, caused by an April 20, 2010, explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil riglocated in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 41 miles (66 km) off the coast of Louisianaand its subsequent sinking on April 22. Additionally, the storm surge for each Category increases with severity, a Category 1 is 4 5 feet, while a Category 5 is 19 feet or more! However, it was verified in June that the plumes were in fact from the Deepwater spill. Have you ever called this the Ocean? The US states of Texas and Florida are recognized as the most rapidly growing states. Fisheries are also extremely productive in the Gulf of Mexico, and many Gulf Coast states have economies centered on fishing in the area. The Gulf of Mexico supports huge populations of fishes. Expect southerly winds, gentle to moderate for the eastern Gulf, and moderate to occasional fresh at the western Gulf. Endangered sea turtles also use the coast as their nursery and require the Sargassum, seaweed that floats on the surface of the water, to feed, along with fish, seahorses, and other marine life. Its no secret that the Gulf of Mexico is a great vacation spot! Geography of the Gulf of Mexico. The oil rig involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was owned and operated by offshore oil-drilling company Transocean and leased by the oil company BP. Thirty-one nominal species of the benthic harpacticoid family Zosimeidae Seifried, 2003 are known from several coastal systems less than 200 m depth and the deep sea. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. (April 23, 2010). The Gulf of Mexico has around 1443 different species of fish in its water. Along the south and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche,and Yucatn. The average depth of the Gulf of Mexico is 5,299 feet (1,615 meters) and the maximum depth is estimated to be 14,383 feet (4,384 meters). The Sigsbee Deep, named for the commander and surveyor Charles Dwight Sigsbee, who discovered it, is the deepest point in the Gulf of Mexico averaging between 3,750 and 4,384 meters. Leopard is located in OCS block Alaminos Canyon (AC) 691, approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of the Whale discovery, 20 miles (32 km) south of the recently appraised Blacktip discovery . 3. [3] The Sigsbee Abyssal Plain is the deepest and flattest sector of the deep basin.[1]. The Sigsbee Deep, 200 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, is estimated to be between 12,300 to 14,383 feet. The basin has an area of 600,000 square miles (1.5 million sq km) and most of it consists of shallow intertidal areas but there are some very deep portions. Some of the notable species include Blacktip shark, Bonnethead shark, Bull shark, Great hammerhead shark, Lemon shark, Nurse shark, and Sand Tiger Shark. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Climate change that's warming waters further is also making them larger, as in increased intensity and amount of water. The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. These floating feeding grounds can grow to be so large theyre detectable from space! Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. The wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico cover around 5 million acres (2.02 million hectares). From the floor of the basin rise the Sigsbee Knolls, some of which attain heights of 1,300 feet (400 metres); these are surface expressions of the buried salt domes. When the guns fire, they create sound waves that travel down and are reflected back up by the sea floor. Covering an area of 1,507,639 km2, the Gulf of Mexico is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean and the worlds largest gulf. Where is the deepest part of the Gulf of Mexico? The rig capsized and sank on the morning of April 22, rupturing the riser, through which drilling mud had been injected in order to counteract the upward pressure of oil and natural gas. The first oil well was drilled in the Gulf in 1938. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from California State University. They said this would protect shipping, and in the event of an emergency, rescue would be nearby. With time, the Gulf of Mexico became an excellent avenue for trade. The Florida Panhandle becomes a magical realm when you put on scuba gear, dive in the ocean, and breathe underwater. All rights reserved. The Gulf of Mexico is located below the southeastern portion of the United States. What if we could clean them out? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In the paper, Mishonov and his co-authors analyzed the first measurements of bottom nepheloid layers in the central and southern deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico west of the Yucatan peninsula made from Mexican and NOAA research vessels in 2015-2017. Which travel companies promote harmful wildlife activities? and southward under the influence of eddies typical of the deep Gulf of Mexico (Androulidakis et al., 2018). The deepest part of the Gulf of Mexico, Sigsbee Deep, is estimated to be around 14,383 feet deep while the average depth is around 5,300 feet. All rights reserved. These four industries produce nearly $234 billion annually. The Gulf of Mexico is a 'sea' and is part of the Atlantic Ocean. The BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2010 spilled 205.8 million gallons of oil and 225,000 tons of methane into the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Stream, a warm Atlantic current, originates in the Gulf of Mexico and influences the climate of both the east coast of the United States and the west coast of Europe. Through the process of upwelling, which occurs near the Florida coast of the Gulf, the cooler nutrient-rich water from the deeper parts of the Gulf is brought to the surface. Can we bring a species back from the brink? Do You Know the Different Regions of the US? 2. A sea lily (Crinoidea) rests in the middle of a mushroom coral (Anthomastus sp.) Traveling east from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf Stream is one of the strongest currents in the world. The black coral is a notoriously slow grower, growing 2,000 times slower than human fingernails. Every day, 30A shares Beach Happy stories and eco-conscious products with millions of fans worldwide. These hurricanes are either formed or make their way into the Gulf and eventually make landfall in the areas surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. Not only does it border five U.S. states Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida but the Gulf of Mexico also borders Cuba and part of Mexico. The climate of the Gulf of Mexico region varies from tropical to subtropical type. Located close to the Continental Shelf, you'll find waters as deep as 600 feet just 10-12 miles from shore. To learn more about the Gulf of Mexico, visit theGulf of Mexico Programfrom the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two designs are sized and analyzed for the new Gulf of Mexico metocean criteria. The Gulf covers approximately 600,000 square miles. Omissions? Some of the important fishes include Albacore tuna, Red snapper, greater amberjack, tarpon, grouper, Atlantic spadefish, king mackerel, Gulf flounder, bluefish, etc. Currently, there are about 27,000 wells, both oil and gas, that have been drilled and abandoned in the Gulf. He was a research editor with Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. from 2008 to 2016 and worked on Britannica Blog from 2010 Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The deepest part of the Gulf of Mexico, Sigsbee Deep, is estimated to be around 14,383 feet deep while the average depth is around 5,300 feet. As per different reports, about 11 people had lost their lives and about 5,000 barrels of oil/day had leaked into the Gulf of Mexico from the 5,486m deep well on the platform. An underwater brine pool off the coast of New Orleans, known as the Hot Tub of Despair, was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 2014. Thankfully close to 80% of hurricanes formed lose strength and dissipate before reaching land. The economics of the area as well as the environment thus are sensitive to pollution. Not sure where the Gulf of Mexico is? Ukraine Russia War Crisis: Everything You Wanted to Know. Regardless of region, the Gulf of Mexico has a striking diversity of flora and fauna which support fish, sharks, dolphins, and countless other marine life. 9. One hundred miles southeast of Galveston's muddy shoreline, the Gulf of Mexico becomes a dazzling, vibrant blue. The Gulf of Mexico covers roughly 615,000 mi (1.6 million km) and is about 930 miles (1,500 km) wide. All major bodies of saltwater, including the oceans, are ocean basins. This region consists of about 1,394 miles (2,243 km) of coastline. At least 33 species of whales are found in the Gulf of Mexico. Later, as the basin became a gulf, the salt was covered with sediment deposited by rivers. The committee discussion of the United States nomination Mexico Basin as having the exact coordinates of 23 52 N 91 35 W as the Sigsbee Deep under consideration noted the Mexico Basin is in the GEBCO Gazetteer with coordinates of 22 30 N 95 00 W to 25 00 N 90 00 W.[5][Note 2] The issue appears to be one of the entire basin or a particular point within the basin for application of the names.