Should You Stay in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach? She has a wonderful poodle-terrier mix named Nelson, and together, they enjoy long walks, outdoor adventures, and playing with his many toys. These banks provide critical habitats for many marine animals including commercially valuable fishes, sharks, rays, and sea turtles. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? The effect of the microscopic oil droplets on the ecosystem was unknown, though their presence, along with that of a layer of oil several inches thick discovered on portions of the seafloor in September, cast doubt on earlier predictions about the speed with which the discharged oil would dissipate. The Gulf of Mexico The graphic above shows the varying depths of the Gulf, which can range to over 12,000 feet deep (the darker the blue the deeper the water). The defective BOP and the capping stack were removed in early September and replaced by a functioning BOP. There is much speculation as to what caused the explosions. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. visits the Gulf of Mexico. Updates? This striking view of the ocean floor off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas was created by a government agency youve likely never heard of called the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Please select which sections you would like to print: Richard Pallardy received a B.A. Only a vague outline of this bizarre landscape was visible on the old map, which had a resolution of 27,000 square feet per pixel, actually quite good for the seafloor. The deepest point is in the Mexico Basin (Sigsbee Deep), which is 17,070 feet (5,203 metres) below sea level. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Amanda Briney, M.A., is a professional geographer. Roughly 4.9 million barrels worth of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, causing massive damage to marine, wildlife, and fishing habitats. What caused the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? The Gulf of Mexico is an important economic region for all the three countries (Cuba, Mexico, and United States) that border it. Although it has its own name and boundaries, the Gulf of Mexico can be considered part of the Atlantic Ocean as oceans have no hard boundaries. 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. The First European Settlement Was at Pensacola Bay, Over 60 Million Americans Live Along the Gulf. The volume of water in the basin is roughly 2.4 10 6 cubic kilometers (5.8 10 5 cubic miles). coastline, at least 1,200 square miles of the deep ocean floor, and 68,000 square miles of surface water. Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. Further exploration of the Gulf of Mexico continued throughout the 1500s, and after numerous shipwrecks in the region, settlers and explorers decided to establish a settlement along the northern Gulf Coast. 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. 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. Its four times as salty as the nearby seawater and is warmer as well. "Sigsbee Deep" applied to the entire deep basin appears on some of the earliest charts of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to being home to so many incredible beaches, it is also a very unique region of the world. The Gulf Stream is one of the most powerful and warm ocean currents that flow from the Gulf of Mexico towards the northern Atlantic Ocean. The Interior Department's five-year offshore leasing plan is required by law. The Gulf of Mexico is a 'sea' and is part of the Atlantic Ocean. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. Most areas incurred over 40 inches of rain within a 4-day period, in contrast, Nederland, Texas saw an astonishing 60 inches of rainfall! Not sure where the Gulf of Mexico is? The 30A Company | 30A, Beach Happy and Life Shines are Registered Trademarks, By: Shannon Serpette | Posted Dec 17, 2021, The Five Beachiest Birds to Look for in the Sand and Skies, As a beach lover its likely you know that birds, much like other beach features, are never the same at every beach. Its shallow, saltier, and serene waters surrounded by velvety quartz sand may seem like another world when compared to the Atlantic's cool and thrilling waves and golden-brown sand. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. Several copepods of the family Zosimeidae were found in deep-sea sediment samples from the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California (Mexico). Here are 11 facts about the geography of the region: The Gulf of Mexico likely formed as a result of seafloor subsidence (or the gradual sinking of the seafloor) about 300 million years ago. In response to their call for help, the BOEM devised a way to make a high-resolution map by combining the data from several 3-D seismic surveys that exploration companies had done in the area. An ocean basin, it is bounded on the northeast, . Both oceans and gulfs are large bodies of saltwater, but gulfs are smaller and are bordered on three sides by land. [3] The actual maximum depth is disputed and estimates range between 3,750 and 4,384 metres (12,303 and 14,383 ft). All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. The Gulf of Mexico shares its borders with the United States on the north, northeast, and northwest, and Mexico on the southwest, and the south. Though fitted loosely over the BOP and allowing some oil to escape, the cap enabled BP to siphon approximately 15,000 barrels of oil per day to a tanker. These include: Atlantic Spotted dolphin, Striped dolphin, Frasers dolphin, Pantropical spotted dolphin, Clymene dolphin, and Spinner dolphin. The Bay of Campeche (Veracruz), 6. While most of the Gulf of Mexico is fairly shallow, its deepest point is Sigsbee Deep, which has an estimated maximum depth of 14,383 feet! Later, as the basin became a gulf, the salt was covered with sediment deposited by rivers. To complete your Gulf of Mexico knowledge, we also go over all the key information you should know about its physical geography and history. in English from Illinois State University in 2005. The marine flora in the Gulf of Mexico includes seagrasses, mangroves, marine algae, and marsh grasses. "Dude, you have some terrible luck. 2. The deepest point is in the Mexico Basin ( Sigsbee Deep), which is 17,070 feet (5,203 metres) below sea level. Though the leak had slowed, it was estimated by a government-commissioned panel of scientists that 4,900,000 barrels of oil had already leaked into the gulf. Various waterfowl, shorebirds, coral reef, and endangered sea turtles establish their habitats in the Gulf of Mexico which is crucial to their survival. The first . Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. It was used by the early Europeans as an exploration route to explore the Americas. The Spanish explorer Tristn de Luna y Arellano landed at Pensacola Bay and established a settlement on August 15, 1559. The black coral is a notoriously slow grower, growing 2,000 times slower than human fingernails. 11 Facts You Should Know. We have not only provided the answer to the question here but have also explored more interesting facts about the Gulf. Description [ edit] The basin is located in the southwestern quadrant of the Gulf, with its closest point to the U.S. coast at 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas. Boasting some of the worlds most diverse coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean and Florida, the Gulf of Mexico also is home to black coral, which is the oldest living marine organism currently known. An ocean basin is simply any large area covered with seawater and located below sea level. One hundred miles southeast of Galveston's muddy shoreline, the Gulf of Mexico becomes a dazzling, vibrant blue. Different species of jellyfish are also commonly found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. How many miles deep is the Gulf of Mexico? Today, there are roughly 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells underneath the Gulf. Forensic analysis of the BOP completed the following year determined that a set of massive blades known as blind shear ramsdesigned to slice through the pipe carrying oilhad malfunctioned because the pipe had bent under the pressure of the rising gas and oil. The wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico cover around 5 million acres (2.02 million hectares). To the north of the Gulf of Mexico are the US states of Alabama, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. "A recent forecast of the size of the 'Dead ZoneR How big is the Gulf of Mexico? But the Gulf is also a habitat for other sea animals including dolphins, whales, sea turtles, and manatees. Its no secret that the best seafood comes from the Gulf, which is why 75% of the shrimp in the United States comes from the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the notable species include Southern Moon jelly, Mushroom jelly, Upside-down jelly, Cannonball jellyfish, Atlantic Sea Nettle, Pink Meanie, and Portuguese Man of War. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The Gulf of Mexico itself and the regions surrounding it are highly biodiverse and feature large fishing economies. The Gulf of Mexico contains seven barrier islands located along the Gulfs northwestern part. On September 17 the bottom kill maneuver was successfully executed through the first relief well. The Chicxulub Crater is a large impact crater that is buried underneath the Yucatn Peninsula in Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is exploited for oil and hence several offshore oil drilling rigs have been drilled for exploration and mining in the Bay of Campeche and the western Gulf region. The Gulf was first explored by Amerigo Vespucci in 1497. BE HONEST!! See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Louisiana is an especially important stop along their journey between Latin America and the breeding grounds in North America with nearly 2.5 million landing each day to rest. Although Native Americans living in the region used the Gulf of Mexico for centuries as a source of food and building materials, the first European to explore the Gulf was Italian Amerigo Vespucci in 1497. About 5 million acres of wetlands border the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico today is bordered by 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of U.S. coastline and is fed with water from 33 major rivers that flow out of the United States. First discovered in 1999 by Texas A&M deep-tow data and 3D seismic supplied by WesternGeco LLC, the furrows are expressed for over 200 km along the Sigsbee . Over 40 species of sharks live in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the hurricanes which do reach land can cause catastrophic devastation. The Gulf covers approximately 600,000 square miles. The North-West Gulf of Mexico. 5. The Gulf of Mexico basin appears to have formed ~200 million years ago as the result of rifting within North . Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The Jacuzzi of Despair as its called, is a combination of methane gas and hydrogen sulfide that kills all creatures who enter it. With time, the Gulf of Mexico became an excellent avenue for trade. To the southeast, it's bounded by the Caribbean Sea and Cuba. The Gulf of Mexico is the largest gulf in the world, as well as the worlds 9th largest body of water. The Sigsbee Deep[Note 1] (Mexico basin in the U. S. Board on Geographic Names Advisory Committee on Undersea Features (ACUF) Gazetteer),[1] is a roughly triangular basin that is the deepest part of the Gulf of Mexico named for Commander Charles Dwight Sigsbee, USN, Assistant U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, commanding officer of the USC&GS George S. Blake which discovered the feature during its mapping of the Gulf of Mexico. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. Introduction. Following the continental shelf edge westward, Diaphus Bank rises about 48 miles west of the Mississippi Trough. The most common found around Alabama beaches are bull sharks, great hammerhead sharks, sand tiger sharks and shortfin mako sharks. 1. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Facts About Marine Life in the Gulf of Mexico, 10 Facts About the Geography of Baja California. What if we could clean them out? Cleanup crews attempted to burn the oil off of the water, gather the oil and move it, and block it from hitting the coast. However, in portions such as The Sigsbee Deep, which is 2 miles southwest of Brownsville, Texas, the depths reach up to 4,384 meters, or 14,383 feet! Gulf of Mexico water temperature: The surface water temperature of the Gulf of Mexico, as recorded in February, varies from 18C in the northern part of the Gulf to about 24C off the Yucatn coast. The Gulf of Mexico is the largest gulf in the world, with 600,000 sq miles bordered by 1,680 miles of US coastlines. The area then filled with seawater, forming the Gulf of Mexico. In the fall of 2021, nine new . 7. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, 2010, when an explosion damaged the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. 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. It doesnt hurt that a large part of the Gulf is right over the North American Continental Shelves, which means the water is fairly shallow. Not according to biology or history. The roughly 5,000-year-old human remains were found in graves from the Yamnaya culture, and the discovery may partially explain their rapid expansion throughout Europe. "Flaming Oil Rig Sinks in Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world at a width of 810 nautical miles (1,500 km). "Size of Spill in Gulf of Mexico is Larger than Thought. Some of the devastating hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico region include Hurricane Katrina (2005), Hurricane Ike (2008), Hurricane Harvey (2016), Hurricane Michael (2018), Hurricane Rita, Galveston Hurricane, etc.