Maps of sea level obtained from satellite altimetry measurements are used to derive surface ocean currents (top map). Higher values of sea level (oranges and reds) are associated with the Loop Current and warm eddies, while lower values are associated to colder features. Drifter trajectories (lines in the top map) are used as an independent measurement to better illustrate circulation features. Sea height anomaly maps (center map) shows the difference of sea level from average conditions, while sea height maps (bottom map) shows absolute values of the sea level. Decision makers, managers, and scientists use these products to determine the flow of the surface water in the Gulf of Mexico.
|Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential Loop
||Depth 26.C Isotherm|
|Sea Height Anomaly
||Sea Surface Temperature Loop