'Fascinating' Ocean Current Seen as Warm Water Flows Into Gulf of Mexico

Satellite imagery posted by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) on May 29 shows a “fascinating” ocean current loop as warm waters flowed into the Gulf of Mexico between April and May of this year.

In a post to X, CIRA said the loop could be seen as warm waters from the Caribbean Sea flowed up into the Gulf of Mexico and out into the Atlantic’s Gulf Stream.

“Over the last couple of months, the Gulf of Mexico has seen warming sea surface temperatures as summer draws near,” the research institute wrote.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the loop current brings warm water up from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico, north along the eastern coast of the United States, and ultimately across the Atlantic to Northwest Europe.

As of 2021, the current was one of the fastest in the Atlantic, NOAA said. Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful