Connection between Freezing Europe and the BP spill

[Andrew Mason]

Can you give some references for this data? I am unable to find any data that says the Gulf Stream has stopped or significantly decreased. Thanks.

The monitors removed the sources I originally posted, which were deemed not to be scientific. The reports were that the Gulf Loop Current had stopped.

The data for measurements of the Gulf Loop Current post-spill is found here: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dhos/altimetry.php

The charts show monthly satellite altimetry data from April-December 2010. The satellite measures the height of the water surface, which correlates to temperature. The loop current is seen in its normal state in April and early May. If you look at the charts for May 2010 you will see a dramatic change to the loop current occurring from May 20-27 when the loop current appears to break off from the flow into the Carribean and Atlantic. This results in a warm eddy in the gulf detached from the rest of the flow. That warm eddy cools and eventually disappears in August. The current loop up into the Gulf appears to be missing for the remainder of 2010.

AM

 

[PhilKravitz]

The monitors removed the sources I originally posted, which were deemed not to be scientific. The reports were that the Gulf Loop Current had stopped.

AM

The Gulf loop pinches off on a regular basis. This is normal. It is a repeating patterns with a time scale of 1-2 years?

If anyone has data on the Gulf Stream slowing/stopping/cooling that would be news.

 

[Andrew Mason]

The Gulf loop pinches off on a regular basis. This is normal. It is a repeating patterns with a time scale of 1-2 years?

If anyone has data on the Gulf Stream slowing/stopping/cooling that would be news.

It does appear that eddies break off from time to time from the Gulf Loop flow. So there are natural events that cause this. There may also be unnatural events that cause this, such as an oil spill. It does seem rather striking that the eddy should break off within a month after the BP spill, just as the spill contacts the loop current. And it has stayed that way since then, it appears.

I haven't been able to find data for the Gulf Loop current before April 2010. If the current that exits between Cuba and Florida does not first circulate into the Gulf, is it going to acquire as much heat? Is there any correlation between the Gulf loop current and the temperature and/or flow of the North Atlantic Drift?

AM