Presenter: Alexis Johnson (University of Rhode Island)

Description:
In the Gulf of Mexico, the Loop Current Eddy (LCE) separation cycle has a profound impact on deep circulation patterns in the eastern Gulf. An array of current and pressure recording inverted echo sounders (CPIES) provides an opportunity to document the generation and radiation of deep energy associated with LCE separation and associated instability processes. The array, deployed June 2019 and recovered May 2021, consisted of twenty-four CPIES spaced 60 km apart, located 89^oW – 86^oW, 25^oN – 27.5^oN. Three LCE separation events are observed, during which deep eddies are generated under growing surface meanders through instability processes. In the northwest corner of the array, deep variability is characterized by rectilinear ellipses closely oriented along bathymetry with periods ranging from 10-40 days suggesting energy radiating from the generation region has organized into topographic Rossby waves. A ray-tracing model is used to clarify the pathways by which deep energy reaches the continental slope from source regions of high eddy kinetic energy observed within the array.