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Particles colored by temperature trace the flow of water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf Stream. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. (MP4, 58.9 MB).

Particles colored by temperature trace the flow of water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf Stream. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. (MP4, 58.9 MB).

How much does the Gulf of Mexico Contribute to the Gulf Stream?

The Gulf Stream is a narrow ribbon of high velocity (~2 m/s) and warm (>20 °C) water meandering through the gaps along the continental shelf flowing northward along the east coast of North America until leaving the coastline near Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Despite the name, very little water from the Gulf of Mexico contributes to the Gulf Stream. To show the percentage of contribution from the Gulf, we run an experiment. The experiment is performed using NASA’s ocean model called ECCO2. The model combines ocean general circulation simulation with observed global ocean datasets. To do this experiment, we fill the Gulf (from surface to a depth of ~3000 m) with 115000 virtual particles, allowing them to move with the ocean’s three dimensional velocity field. We track their path, and count those that make their way to the meandering Gulf stream.

Read the full story and view additional videos and still images at NASA SVS.