Bodies of Water The Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico, which is the largest gulf in the world, covers an area of around 600,000 square miles (1,550,000 sq. km). The Gulf borders Mexico, Cuba and the American states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida, and to the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatan Channel.

This body of water can be divided into four ecological/geological areas. One of these is the coastal zone which comprises mainly of mangroves, tidal marshes, sandy beaches, bays, estuaries and lagoons. Then, there is the continental shelf which lies near the edges of the Gulf at widths ranging from 25-200 miles (40-320 km). The continental shelf gives way to the continental slope, which plunges down to the floor, known as the abyssal plain. This last area is a flat triangular plain that reaches a depth of around 17,070ft (5,203m) in the Mexico Basin.

As regards currents, the main one, which takes oceanic water into the Gulf, circulates in a clockwise direction. However, there are seasonal and annual variations in the movement of the currents due to changing circulation patterns and winds. In the tropical and subtropical weather conditions that prevail from June to November tropical cyclones can easily form, creating adverse sea states. Moreover, hurricanes that originate in the North Atlantic can travel through the Gulf and become stronger when they do so. Wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico is both diverse and abundant. The five million acres of wetlands provide a home in the winter for huge numbers of migratory birds while the sea is teeming with fish all year round. There are around 520 fish species in the Gulf, some of which make the region a commercial fishing centre that supplies around 20% of the total US catch. These include flounder, red snapper, mullet, tuna, mahi-mahi and king mackerel. Other species harvested on a commercial scale are oysters, crabs and shrimps. Marine mammals like humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins and manatees also frequent the area along with sharks, sea turtles and a wide variety of starfish and sea urchins.

of the GDP for Texas. The latter, which stretches along a 54-mile intersection of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River, serves a vast expanse of inland waterways. This is borne out in the 2019 figures of 3495 port calls from oceangoing vessels and a staggering 54,921 barge calls. It is also the largest grain port in the USA.

Source: www.wikipedia.org

Apart from commercial fishing, the Gulf is a prime location for sport fishing, boating, swimming and scuba diving. It is also a major tourist destination with large cruise terminals at Galveston, Mobile and New Orleans providing itineraries for those wishing to explore the Gulf coast. Further away from the shore there are significant oil and natural gas deposits on the abyssal plain.

Although there are some Mexican ports of significant size on the Gulf like Puerto Vallerta, there are major US ports that border this body of water. Indeed, two of the busiest ports in the world by volume serve the merchant fleet. These are Houston, Texas at number five and the Port of South Louisiana at number nine. The former is an international gateway to many countries and provides around 20%

Source:www.usgs.gov

In addition to these major ports, there are five others that rank higher than 20th on the world list. There is the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas, which is number 2 in the US for crude oil exports and whose utilities are powered by renewables in certain terminals. Then there is Mobile, Alabama, which serves the Midwest and provides access to the Gulf, the Panama Canal and South America. Lastly, there are the Ports of Greater Baton Rouge, Plaquemines, which can be accessed by 33 states, and Pascagoula, Mississipi’s largest seaport.

In addition to human activity, there are natural factors that act as stressors on the Gulf of Mexico. Dense marine traffic in certain areas, tourism, fishing and accidents like oil spills have compromised the integrity of this body of water, while winds and waves have eroded coastal land and led to the chronic loss of wetland habitats. Although the Gulf of Mexico has an established history of being resilient to such forces, the pressure has been mounting, so action needs to be taken to maintain this resilience.

One high-profile governmental organization that has been instrumental in mitigating risk of destruction in the Gulf is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This organization is committed to implementing a strategy to keep the Gulf of Mexico as healthy as possible. With their invaluable data, they are able to help communities understand, consider and adapt to coastal hazards and climate risks. They have also engaged in restoring and conserving key habitats as well as coastal and marine resources. Theirs is by no means an easy task, but their clear understanding of the situation in the Gulf of Mexico should pave the way for a secure future for all the stakeholders in the region.

Sources: www.britannica.com, www.oceanreefresorts.com, www.help.cruisesonly.com, www.noaa.gov

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4. Which three-letter word can be used to complete the following words? RE_ _ _NT, ENR_ _ _D, W_ _ _S and PACK_ _ _S

5. Alexandra likes visiting countries off the beaten track like Botswana and Kiribatu. Her favourite capital is Athens and her favourite painter is Pablo Picasso. At the top of her list of best films

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C. Barents Sea D. Sea of Japan

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A. 80% B. 85% C. 90% D. 95%