The Gulf of Mexico: An Overview

Authors

Larry D. McKinney, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
John G. Shepherd, University of Southampton
Charles A. Wilson, Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
William T T. Hogarth, Florida Institute of Oceanography
Jeff Chanton, Florida State University
Steven A. Murawski, University of South FloridaFollow
Paul A. Sandifer, College of Charleston
Tracey Sutton, Nova Southeastern University
David Yoskowitz, Senior Executive Director
Katya Wowk, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Tamay M. Özgökmen, University of Miami
Samantha B. Joye, University of Georgia
Rex Caffey, Louisiana State University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2021

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.115

Abstract

The Gulf of Mexico is a place where the environment and the economy both coexist and contend. It is a resilient large marine ecosystem that has changed in response to many drivers and pressures that we are only now beginning to fully understand. Coastlines of the states that border the Gulf comprise about half of the US southern seaboard, and those states are capped by the vast Midwest. The Gulf drains most of North America and is both an economic keystone and an unintended waste receptacle. It is a renowned resource for seafood markets, recreational fishing, and beach destinations and an international maritime highway fueled by vast, but limited, hydrocarbon reserves. Today, more is known about the Gulf than was imagined possible only a few years ago. That gain in knowledge was driven by one of the greatest environmental disasters of this country’s history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The multitude of response actions and subsequent funded research significantly contributed to expanding our knowledge and, perhaps most importantly, to guiding the work needed to restore the damage from that oil spill. Funding for further work should not wait for the next major disaster, which will be too late; progress must be maintained to ensure that the Gulf continues to be resilient.

Rights Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Oceanography, v. 34, no. 1, p. 30-43

Scholar Commons Citation

McKinney, Larry D.; Shepherd, John G.; Wilson, Charles A.; Hogarth, William T T.; Chanton, Jeff; Murawski, Steven A.; Sandifer, Paul A.; Sutton, Tracey; Yoskowitz, David; Wowk, Katya; Özgökmen, Tamay M.; Joye, Samantha B.; and Caffey, Rex, "The Gulf of Mexico: An Overview" (2021). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 2140.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/2140