Gulf of Mexico (main)

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Gulf of Mexico


The Gulf of Mexico is the eleventh largest surface water body on Earth. A western arm of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an ocean basin mostly surrounded by the land, including the USA, Mexico and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the USA, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. Water enters the Gulf through the Yucatan Strait, circulates as the Loop Current, and exits through the Florida Strait eventually forming the Gulf Stream. Gulf fisheries are some of the most productive in the world, and the Gulf overlays some of the world's most abundant oil and gas resources.

  • Beach-nesting birds of the Gulf of Mexico Featured Article Beach-nesting birds of the Gulf of Mexico Beach-nesting birds of the Gulf of Mexico
    The Gulf of Mexico is a globally unique ecosystem, with a diversity of habitats, fish and wildlife that make it one of the nation’s great natural treasures. Gulf habitats... More »
  • Deep natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico Featured Article Deep natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico Deep natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico
    As the United States continues to face increased demand for environmentally safe, clean energy resources, there are increasing calls to look for resources in places that have... More »
  • Western Gulf coastal grasslands Featured Article Western Gulf coastal grasslands Western Gulf coastal grasslands
    The geophysical province of this the Western Gulf coastal grasslands ecoregion is a distinct ecosystem in the southern USA, due to its more temperate climate, proximity to the... More »
  • Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem Featured Article Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem
    This Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) is characterized by its tropical climate. The Gulf of Mexico is partially isolated from the Atlantic Ocean. Important hypotheses concerned with... More »
Recently Updated
800px-P San Miguel de Allende.jpg Mexico (Gulf of Mexico) Last Updated on 2015-03-04 21:00:34 Mexico is a North American nation of one hundred and fifteen million people located between the United States to the north and the Central American nations of Guatemala and Belize to the south. Mexico's main environmental issues include: scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; scarce and polluted fresh water resources in the northern parts of the country: inaccessible and poor water quality in central regions and extreme southeast regions; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; and, land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater overdrafting. The Mexican government considers both the lack of clean water and... More »
Types wetlands clip image027.jpg Wetland (Gulf of Mexico) Last Updated on 2014-09-30 10:32:28 A wetland is an ecological community that is inundated either year around or seasonally. There are very different properties of freshwater versus saline wetlands. Numerous national, state and provincial agencies have regulatory interests wetlands A chief intent of this article is to provide the reader with special interest in wetland delineation, wetland mitigation and wetland biology with insight to additional sources that will be useful. Suisun Marsh wetlands. (Source: California Interagency Ecological Program, Suisun Marsh Program) The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the originally published 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual jointly defined wetlands as: “Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to... More »
File:Attwater Western Gulf coastal grasslands Last Updated on 2013-10-07 22:41:07 The geophysical province of this the Western Gulf coastal grasslands ecoregion is a distinct ecosystem in the southern USA, due to its more temperate climate, proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and associated natural processes (e.g., tropical storms), and geological origin with subsequent succession since the Pleistocene era inundation. This ecoregion is critical to many species of vertebrates, especially grassland birds, both resident and migrant, that are declining on a continental scale. Several endemic species of this ecoregion have become extinct in the wild, including the red wolf, or are critically imperiled such as the Attwater’s Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri), and Whooping Crane (Grus americana). Intertidal, estuarine marsh habitats are less threatened elements of the ecoregion; however, emergent palustrine wetlands within this ecoregion are the... More »
NCSE's Oil Day: Ken Salazar Keynote - Part 2 Last Updated on 2011-06-16 00:00:00 Keynote:A Vision for the Future -Interior Secretary Salazar 1,200 participants gathered in Washington, DC on January 19th, 2011 for NCSE's 11th National Conference, "Our Changing Oceans". The first day of this three-day event was soley dedicated to discussing the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster; what lessons have been learned and the paths dictating future ocean policies. This video is a segment of the proceedings from that day. More »
Birds.jpg Cornell Lab of Ornithology videos on the Gulf Coast Last Updated on 2011-04-20 00:00:00 The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. They have prepared a series of in-depth videos that help you understand the vital ecosystems of the Mississippi River Delta and some impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Deepwater Horizon: One Year Later It's still too early to measure the full extent of the oil's impacts on Gulf Coast waters, beaches, and saltmarshes, to the region's economy, or to its millions of birds. In this video, Cornell Lab director John Fitzpatrick summarizes what we do know, and reflects on our obligation to restore this national treasure's health. Restoring America's Delta The BP disaster caused upheaval and damage to the people and... More »
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