how deep is the gulf of mexico in miles how deep is the gulf of mexico in miles

Researchers recently announced that this year the excess fertilizer from farm fields carried to the Gulf of Mexico helped in the development of a low-oxygen, "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico that covered an area of 6,952 square miles - the 8th largest ever measured! The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. 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. . Animals that wander into the lake dont come out alive. With millions of gallons of oil spilled in the sea, the response effort was large and has lasted for over a decade. It borders the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida as well as the island of Cuba and parts of Mexico. 7. The cited reference discusses differences in United States and IHO committee views and variations between names recommended by the Advisory Committee on Undersea Features (ACUF) of the U. S. BGN and the GEBCO committee. The deepest point is in the Mexico Basin (Sigsbee Deep), which is 17,070 feet (5,203 metres) below sea level. In the Sarasota area the Gulf is best known for beautiful white-sand beaches and exciting offshore fishing. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? The Gulf of Mexico is an important economic region for all the three countries (Cuba, Mexico, and United States) that border it. About 5 million acres of wetlands border the Gulf of Mexico. A large oil spill occurred on April 22, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, when the Deepwater Horizon an oil drilling platform, suffered an explosion and sank into the Gulf. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. The entire basin is about 600,000 square miles (1.5 million sq km). Read our guide on transcendentalism for everything you need to know about key transcendentalist beliefs, an overview of the movement's history, and key players. Most areas incurred over 40 inches of rain within a 4-day period, in contrast, Nederland, Texas saw an astonishing 60 inches of rainfall! The Interior Department's five-year offshore leasing plan is required by law. The surface area of the Gulf of California is about 160,000 km2 (or 62,000 square miles). Ukraine Russia War Crisis: Everything You Wanted to Know. The Gulf of Mexico is a semi-enclosed basin connected, to the south, to the Caribbean Sea, and to the North Atlantic Ocean to the east. The Gulf of Mexico has around 1443 different species of fish in its water. Briney, Amanda. One of Earth's loneliest volcanoes holds an extraordinary secret. The Gulf of Mexico has been a source of oil since 1938, when the first oil well was drilled there. This has led to the creation of dead zones in the Gulf Region, which runs east-west for over 22,730 km2 along the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Eleven of the 126 workers on the rig were killed and, over the following 87 days, an estimated 3.19 million barrels (~134 million gallons) of oil spilled into the Gulf . 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. Besides the economic importance of the Gulf of Mexico, there are countless natural treasures to be found. The gulf's peculiar history gave rise to a landscape riddled with domes,. Coordinates: 24.487, -89.5363. Bacteria that had adapted to consuming naturally occurring gas and oil seeping from the seabed were thought to have consumed a portion of it. 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. The Joshua Channel (labeled channel-levee) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico stands out clearly on the new high-resolution map of the sea floor. Youre probably familiar with the beautiful sandy beaches in Florida or the sprawling coastlines packed with beachgoers in South Padre Island, however, there are countless beautiful beaches along the Gulf of Mexico to be found throughout Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S. With an average temperature between 84F and 88F the Gulf of Mexico is a perfect vacation destination. Its considered one of the worst natural disasters in history, and efforts to reverse some of the damage that was caused are still ongoing. Every year, millions of birds migrate during fall, and many of them fly over the Gulf of Mexico during their trip. A gulf is an inlet of the ocean into the land. Northern Gulf of Mexico deepwater bathymetry grid created from 3D seismic surveys. Please be respectful of copyright. By fintasticinc March 22, 2016 Capt's. Corner. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. Measuring from Florida to the Yucatan, the coastline of the Gulf measures 3,540 miles long and boasts some of the worlds best beaches. Along the south and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche,and Yucatn. Anglers can check out the most common fish found on Alabamas beaches here. How big is the Gulf of Mexico? environmental disaster, Gulf of Mexico [2010]. Both are partially detailed in a lengthy 1975 National Academy of Sciences report on ocean contaminants. https://www.thoughtco.com/geography-of-the-gulf-of-mexico-1435544 (accessed March 4, 2023). The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest ocean basinin the world, covering almost 600,000 square miles. Over 40 species of sharks live in the Gulf of Mexico. Theres a pocket of seawater in the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans that contains salt content thats 5 times higher than neighboring waters. At least 49 different species of sharks have been known to hang out in the gulf waters. This is the text I received from Captain Steve Papen after yet another cancelled trip due to unfavorable conditions. The position of the West Florida Escarpment is shown . Unauthorized use is prohibited. The average depth of the Gulf of Mexico is approximately 1,600 meters, or 5,200 feet. Hurricanes are common along the Gulf Coast, such as Katrina in 2005, Ike in 2008, Harvey in 2016, and Michael in 2018. Here are 11 facts about the Gulf. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. . The first oil well was drilled in the Gulf in 1938. It was used by the early Europeans as an exploration route to explore the Americas. 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. The Mississippi is the largest river that drains into the Gulf of Mexico and carries with it an extraordinary amount of these contaminants into the Gulf. Copyright 2023 Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. "Geography of the Gulf of Mexico." 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. Due to its large size and the complex current system, the Gulf of Mexico has a diverse ecology, ranging from the coastal zone, which serves as a nursery for all types of marine life, to the deep waters of the abyssal plain where colonies of deep-sea coral grow on the seafloor. The grid defines water depth with 1.4 billion 40-by-40 ft cells and is available in feet and meters. Off the sands in Florida lies a 360-mile stretch of coral Reefs which developed 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. 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. visits the Gulf of Mexico. Photo credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program. Should You Stay in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach? 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 . Yes! Still, there are, 30A's Ultimate Guide to The Florida Panhandle Shipwreck. The Gulf of Mexico supports different species of flora and fauna and is widely recognized for its diversity and productivity. So is the Gulf of Mexico an ocean? Marc Pagani Photography/Shutterstock.com. All major bodies of saltwater, including the oceans, are ocean basins. Hurricane Harvey is tied with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest in U.S. history. Today, there are roughly 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells underneath the Gulf. Later, as the basin became a gulf, the salt was covered with sediment deposited by rivers. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/23/nation/la-na-oil-rig-20100423, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29spill.html, http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/about/facts.html#resources, M.A., Geography, California State University - East Bay, B.A., English and Geography, California State University - Sacramento, Fausset, Richard. Various waterfowl, shorebirds, coral reef, and endangered sea turtles establish their habitats in the Gulf of Mexico which is crucial to their survival. Monster Mahi Mahi, Grouper, Snapper, Cobia, and . Oil and gas interests generate about $124 billion, nearly half the sum generated by all industries combined. Hurricane Season of Gulf of Mexico: The hurricane season officially begins at the beginning of June and ends in late November. During this period the conditions are favorable for the development of hurricanes. The Gulf of Mexico is a part of the Atlantic Ocean and is considered an ocean basin and marginal sea. These floating feeding grounds can grow to be so large theyre detectable from space! About 4 of the United States largest fishing ports are located in the Gulf of Mexico region. Old cells hang around as we age, doing damage to the body. The Gulf covers approximately 600,000 square miles. I'm actually a little scared to get in a boat with you.". The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. The success of these procedures cleared the way for a bottom kill, considered to be the most likely means of permanently sealing the leak. Deep below the surface, salt domes protrude from the seafloor and some of the . Because the Gulf of Mexico borders a portion of Mexico, Cuba, and five states Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, it is divided into seven regions based on specific geological and geographical factors. After the discovery of Cuba and Mexico by the early Europeans, Spain had led a military invasion through the Gulf to colonize these areas. There is a thriving range of wildlife living in the Gulf of Mexico and along its coastlines. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. 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. The Gulfs basin is unusually flat, with a gradient of only about 1 foot per every 8,000 feet. 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. Currently, there are about 27,000 wells, both oil and gas, that have been drilled and abandoned in the Gulf. The Brydes whale has recently been declared as an endemic species. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. The Alabama Gulf Coast boasts the largest artificial reef program in the nation, with 1,136 square miles of artificial reefs located at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Hydrology The first European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico occurred in 1497 when Amerigo Vespucci sailed along Central America and entered the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida (the strip of water between present-day Florida and Cuba). The exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico feed the powerful Atlantic hurricanes which in turn cause widespread destruction. Thus, in 1559, Tristn de Luna y Arellano landed at Pensacola Bay and established a settlement. The Overwater Argument. 5. In the fall of 2021, nine new sections of reefs totaling 110 square miles were added to the pre-existing zones. The strength and wind speed of a hurricane vary from a Category 1, which is 74-95 mph, to Category 5, which has wind speeds over 157 mph. On April 20, 2010, BP's mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon exploded, burned, and subsequently sank in the Gulf of Mexico 52 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. The Gulf of Mexico is known for beautiful white-sand beaches and exciting offshore fishing. ThoughtCo, Sep. 8, 2021, thoughtco.com/geography-of-the-gulf-of-mexico-1435544. Although it is rare to see sharks in our waters, around 50 species call the Gulf of Mexico home. Today, the most serious pollution threats to the Gulf of Mexico come from oil drilling and agricultural runoff. The North-West Gulf of Mexico. The most common found around Alabama beaches are bull sharks, great hammerhead sharks, sand tiger sharks and shortfin mako sharks. The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. Some 1,680 miles of the US coastline and 1,743 miles of the Mexican coastline borders the Gulf of Mexico. 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. Many died from ingesting oil or because it interfered with their ability to regulate their body temperatures. It contains about 2,500 quadrillion liters of saltwater. NOAA. We've gathered 113 of the most amazing facts you can use to impress anyone you meet. Cuba is located to the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. Omissions? It is a warm Atlantic Ocean current and the warmth of this current is the cause of the formation of devastating Atlantic hurricanes. The use of "Sigsbee" for the feature originates from Commander Charles Dwight Sigsbee's Gulf of Mexico surveys that defined the general features of the body while commanding officer of the USC&GS George S. Blake. It is rumored that they buried some of their stolen loot on the bay. These islands are Galveston, Follets, Matagorda, St. Josephs (San Jos), Mustang, Padre, and Brazos. n o date, more than $11.6 billion has been paid to Gulf-area T 2. The rig's sinking on April 22 began the discharge of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil well over which it was positioned was located on the seabed 4,993 feet (1,522 metres) below the surface and extended approximately 18,000 feet (5,486 metres) into the rock. Human activities in and around the Gulf of Mexico such as agricultural practices, oil spills, and shipwrecks are harming the ecosystem. The wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico cover around 5 million acres (2.02 million hectares). The Gulf of Mexico is a rich reservoir of natural gas and oil. Expect southerly winds, gentle to moderate for the eastern Gulf, and moderate to occasional fresh at the western Gulf. Without any opposing force, oil began to discharge into the gulf. During the summer months, the sea surface temperature rises to about 32C. Check out our guide on the 13 colonies for everything you need to know about the colonies and how the US came to be. The seawater from the Caribbean Sea that enters the Gulf of Mexico via the Yucatn Channel, quickly circulates in a clockwise loop current before exiting the Gulf through the Florida Straits, eventually forming the Gulf Stream. Look forBeach Happy magazine at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Publix, Kroger and other major outlets. Public domain image from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Padre Island has its origins in the Gulf of Mexico. What does this mean? The Ultimate Guide to Campgrounds in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, How to Plan a Budget-Friendly Beach Vacation, 10 Fun Family Activities in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, 10 Cheap & Free Things To Do in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, Take The Kids On A Catch & Release Crabbing Adventure On Alabama's Gulf Coast, The Best Restaurants for Fine Dining on Alabama Beaches, The Four Best Coffee Shops in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, 4 Beach Restaurants Perfect for Date-Night, 10 Things to Know Before Your Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Vacation, 5 Things I Learned From My Alabama Beach Vacation, Easy Options for a Pet-Friendly Beach Vacation, Bike-Sharing at Gulf State Park: Share the Trails, Share the Wheels, 10 Things to do with Teens in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, 5 Thrilling Amusement Parks Gulf Shores Orange Beach, The Gulf State Park Fishing and Education Pier. 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). Birds were particularly vulnerable to the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The marine chart shows depth and hydrology of Gulf Of Mexico on the map, which is located in the Veracruz, Texas, Florida state (La Perla, Fayette, Clay). Her family is still awaiting justice. The lake gets its foreboding name because of how salty the water is and how most things dont survive it. To the south and southwest, the Gulf of Mexico is bordered by Mexico. The deepest point is in the Mexico Basin ( Sigsbee Deep), which is 17,070 feet (5,203 metres) below sea level. Scientists just confirmed a 30-foot void first detected inside the monument years ago. At Mow Answers, we do maps and stories for a living.