Lagrangian observations of an anticyclonic ring in the western Gulf of Mexico

Abstract
This analysis documents, for the first time, the movement and velocity characteristics of an anticyclonic ring. The ring was pinched off from the Loop Current in the fall of 1980 and moved into the western Gulf of Mexico. Lagrangian measurements obtained from satellite‐tracked drifters show that typical speeds of the near‐surface currents associated with this ring are about 50 cm/s. There is also a surprising amount of higher‐frequency current fluctuations. These include diurnal and semidiurnal tides, a basin tidal resonance, and a free gravity mode.