what gulf is just south of the united states
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the Gulf of Mexico(what gulf is just south of the united states)
The Gulf Coast of the United States is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf of Mexico, Spanish Golfo de México(what gulf is just south of the united states)
partially landlocked body of water on the southeastern periphery of the North American continent.
It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida, running between the peninsula of Florida and the island of Cuba, and to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatán Channel,
which runs between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba.
Both of these channels are about 100 miles (160 km) wide.
The gulf’s greatest east-west and north-south extents are approximately 1,100 and 800 miles (1,800 and 1,300 km), respectively, and it covers an area of some 600,000 square miles (1,550,000 square km).
To the northwest, north, and northeast it is bounded by the southern coast of the United States, while to the west, south, and southeast it is bounded by the east coast of Mexico.
Physical features(what gulf is just south of the united states)
Physiography and geology
The Gulf of Mexico consists of several ecological and geologic provinces, chief of which are the coastal zone,
the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the abyssal plain.
The coastal zone consists of tidal marshes, sandy beaches, mangrove-covered areas, and many bays, estuaries, and lagoons.
The continental shelf forms an almost continuous terrace around the margin of the gulf;
its width varies from a maximum of more than 200 miles (320 km) to a minimum of about 25 miles (40 km).
Off the west coast of Florida as well as off the Yucatán Peninsula, the continental shelf consists of a broad area composed primarily of carbonate material.
The remainder of the shelf consists of sand, silt, and clay sediments.
On the shelf and on the slope that dips downward to the abyssal plain, buried salt domes occur at various depths; economically important deposits of oil and natural gas are associated with them.
The abyssal plain, which forms the floor of the gulf, consists of a large triangular area near the centre, bounded by abrupt fault scarps toward Florida and the Yucatán Peninsula and by more gentle slopes to the north and west.
The basin is unusually flat(what gulf is just south of the united states)
The basin is unusually flat, having a gradient of only about 1 foot (0.3 metre) in every 8,000 feet (2,440 metres).
The deepest point is in the Mexico Basin (Sigsbee Deep), which is 17,070 feet (5,203 metres) below sea level. From the floor of the basin rise the Sigsbee Knolls, some of which attain heights of 1,300 feet (400 metres);
these are surface expressions of the buried salt domes.
Hydrology(what gulf is just south of the united states)
The southeastern portion of the gulf is traversed by a riverlike current that becomes the main source of the North Atlantic Gulf Stream; this is the principal current moving oceanic waters through the gulf. Water from the Caribbean enters through the Yucatán Channel, the floor of which forms a sill (submarine ridge between basins) at about 1 mile (1.6 km) beneath the surface, and flows out in a clockwise direction via the Straits of Florida.
Meandering masses of water, called loop currents, break off from the main stream and also move clockwise into the northeastern part of the gulf. Both seasonal and annual variations occur in these loop currents.
A less well-defined pattern exists in the western gulf.
There the currents are relatively weak, varying appreciably in intensity with season and location.
There is extreme variability in both current direction and speed on the continental shelf and in the coastal waters of the gulf,
The various rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico drain a land area roughly double that of the gulf, and the salinity of the gulf is subject to wide variations.
In the open gulf the salinity is comparable to that of the North Atlantic, about 36 parts per thousand.
This proportion, however, varies markedly during the year in coastal waters, particularly near the outflow of the broad delta region of the Mississippi River.
During periods when the volume of the Mississippi’s flow is greatest
During periods when the volume of the Mississippi’s flow is greatest, salinities as low as 14 to 20 parts per thousand occur as far as some 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 km) offshore.
Sea surface temperatures in February vary between 64 °F (18 °C) in the northern gulf and 76 °F (24 °C) off the Yucatán coast.
The thickness of the isothermal layer (a surface layer of water of constant temperature) varies from about 3 to more than 500 feet (1 to more than 150 metres), depending on seasonal and local conditions as well as on location.
The tidal range is small, averaging less than two feet in most places; in general, only diurnal tides occur—i.e., one period of high water and one of low water during each tidal day (24 hours and 50 minutes).
Climate
The climate of the gulf region varies from tropical to subtropical. Of particular note are the often-devastating hurricanes (tropical cyclones) that strike the region nearly every year.
The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, during which time meteorologic and oceanographic conditions are conducive for hurricanes to develop anywhere in the gulf.
Particularly damaging hurricanes included one in Galveston, Texas, in 1900 and another in and around New Orleans in 2005. Hurricanes spawned in the North Atlantic may also move through the gulf at that time, often picking up strength.
Economic aspects
Biological resources
The shores of the Gulf of Mexico are a major habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds.
Substantial colonies of noddies, boobies, pelicans, and other seabirds winter along the coasts of Mexico and Cuba, as well as on offshore islands.
There is a marked absence of marine mammals; the only one of significance, the Caribbean manatee, is diminishing in number.
The gulf waters contain huge populations of fish, particularly along the continental shelf.
Commercial fishing is of major economic importance and supplies roughly one-fifth of the total catch in the United States. Shrimps, flounder, red snappers, mullet, oysters, and crabs are the most important commercial species for human consumption. In addition, a large quantity of the fish caught is used to provide fish protein concentrate for animal feeds; menhaden provide the bulk of this catch.
Recreation
The coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico are used extensively for sport fishing, especially for red snappers, flounder, and tarpon. Boating, swimming, and scuba diving also are popular recreations.
The Gulf Coast has become a popular tourist destination, especially during winter.
Tourism has developed primarily since World War II and has become one of the major components of the regional economy.
In addition, the coastal areas, particularly in Florida, have developed into large retirement communities.
The impact of human activity
Shifting demographic patterns in the United States since 1950 have brought millions of new residents to the gulf region.
This growing population has increased the demand for fresh water and generated large quantities of sewage and industrial waste (including heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls),
much of which have been discharged directly into gulf waters or indirectly by rivers draining into the gulf.
Offshore drilling has brought oil spills that, on occasion,
have fouled beaches and destroyed marine life.
More damaging, however, have been modern agricultural practices in much of the United States and Mexico,
resulting in runoff contaminated with tremendous amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
Blooms of red algae (Rhodophyta) and regions of oxygen depletion (hypoxia) have increased in frequency, size, and duration; these occurrences have been tied to the introduction into the gulf of large amounts of phosphates and nitrogen,
particularly from the outflow of the Mississippi River.
Off Louisiana, erosion and changes in relative sea level have caused the submergence of large areas of coastal wetlands;
and pollution, siltation, and filling have resulted in the destruction of large areas of the gulf’s mangroves and many of its coral reefs.
How many Gulf are there?
Not all geological features which could be considered a gulf have “Gulf” in the name,
for example the Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea. There are 62 gulfs in total.
How many gulfs are there in the US?
The Gulf States of the United States is the southern region
that lies along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
There are a total of five Gulf States.
Is Florida in the Gulf of Mexico?
The Gulf formed about 300 million years ago, and in all it encompasses 600,000 square miles.
Not only does it border five U.S. states – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,
and Florida– but the Gulf of Mexico also borders Cuba and part of Mexico.
What 3 gulfs surround the United States?
The United States of America has more than 12,000 miles of coastline.
This coastline borders three major bodies of water:
the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.
Is Georgia part of the Gulf Coast?
The East Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion encompasses portions of five states
(Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana)
and over 42 million acres from the southwestern portion of Georgia across
the Florida Panhandle and west to the southeastern portion of Louisiana.
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