4A Florida West Coast/Central Gulf of Mexico 



Charles S. Yentsch 



Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences 

 West Boothbay Harbor, Maine 



An example of phytoplankton growth being augmented by a major 

 ocean current is observed in the CZCS images of Florida and the eastern 

 Gulf of Mexico in this case study. In this region, the thermal Loop Current 

 forms a front which is due to the entry of equatorial water into the eastern 

 Gulf of Mexico through the Straits of Yucatan. The equatorial water 

 penetrates as far north as 27° N, which encompasses most of the eastern 

 Gulf of Mexico. 



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