Which ocean does the Gulf of Mexico flow into? The Gulf of Mexico is an environmental disaster of the 21st century

Throughout its existence, man has repeatedly had a negative impact on the With the development of modern technologies, they began to take on larger-scale forms. A clear confirmation of this is the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster that happened there in the spring of 2010 caused irreparable damage to nature. As a result, the waters were polluted, leading to the death of huge numbers and a decline in their population.

The cause of the disaster was the accident on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which occurred due to the unprofessionalism of workers and the negligence of the owners of the oil and gas company. As a result of incorrect actions, an explosion and fire occurred, resulting in the death of 13 people who were on the platform and took part in eliminating the consequences of the accident. For 35 hours, fire ships extinguished the fire, but it was possible to completely block the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico only after five months.

According to some experts, during the 152 days during which oil spilled from the well, about 5 million barrels of fuel got into the water. During this time, an area of ​​75,000 square kilometers was contaminated. American military personnel and volunteers from all over the world, who gathered in the Gulf of Mexico, were involved in eliminating the consequences of the accident. Oil was collected both manually and by special vessels. Together, it was possible to remove approximately 810 thousand barrels of fuel from the water.

The hardest thing was to stop the plugs being installed did not help. Cement was poured into the wells and drilling fluid was pumped, but complete sealing was achieved only on September 19, while the accident occurred on April 20. During this period, the Gulf of Mexico became the most polluted place on the planet. About 6 thousand birds, 600,100 dolphins, and many other mammals and fish were found dead.

Enormous damage has been caused to coral reefs, which cannot develop in polluted water. The mortality rate of the bottlenose dolphin has increased almost 50 times, and this is not all the consequences of the accident on the oil platform. also suffered significant damage as the Gulf of Mexico was one-third closed to fishing. The oil even reached the waters of coastal reserves, which were very important for other animals.

Three years have passed since the disaster, the Gulf of Mexico is slowly recovering from the damage caused. American oceanographers closely monitor the behavior of marine life, as well as corals. The latter began to multiply and grow in their usual rhythm, which indicates the purification of the water. But an increase in water temperature in this place was also recorded, which could negatively affect many marine inhabitants.

Some researchers assumed that the consequences of the disaster would affect the Gulf Stream, which affects the climate. Indeed, recent winters in Europe have been especially frosty, and the water itself has dropped by 10 degrees. But scientists have not yet been able to prove that the weather anomalies are related specifically to the oil accident.

Did you know that the Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water on the planet and supports the world's largest fisheries? The Gulf of Mexico is a spectacular expanse with an amazing diversity of species, and one of the most dangerous seas in the world. Here are 47 of the most interesting facts about the Gulf of Mexico that will give you information about this unique place.

1. The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin that only exists because the gulf is surrounded by North America and Cuba.
2. It is the world's ninth largest body of water (about 600,000 square miles) and is bordered by five US states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) to the north, five Mexican states to the west, and Cuba to the southeast.
3. The Gulf's total coastline is approximately 3,540 miles (5,697 km) from the tip of Florida to the tip of the Yucatan, and another 236 miles (380 km) along Cuba.
4. The bay was created by collisions at the end of the Triassic period, about 300 million years ago, followed by subsidence of the seabed.
5. Nearly half of the Gulf of Mexico basin is shallow water above the continental shelves, although it has a trench with a depth of 14,383 feet (4,384 meters).
6. The water of the Atchafalaya River, saturated with sediment (sediment), flows into the Gulf of Mexico in the northern part.
7. Along the American Gulf Coast, 33 major river systems and 207 estuaries flow into the sea.
8. , one of the strongest ocean currents in the world, originates in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
9. The first European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico was carried out by Amerigo Vespucci in 1497.
10. The gulf coasts provide a wide range of habitats, including submerged vegetation, upland areas, marine areas, and more than 5 million acres of wetlands.
    
    
11. There are 31 major estuary watersheds in the Gulf of Mexico.
12. The Gulf's coastal wetlands make up 28% of the total US wetlands, and the open water area makes up 41% of the US total.
13. An important area for the millions of migratory birds that fly throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including nearly every species of migratory landbird.
14. Radar technology has shown that hundreds of millions of birds cross the Gulf of Mexico during their migrations, with up to 2.5 million landing for recreation in Louisiana.
15. There are 29 species of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico, including bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, small whales and sperm whales.
16. The bay is home to five species of rare sea turtles - Kemp's sea turtles, Hawksbill sea turtles, green sea turtles, Loggerhead sea turtles and Leatherback sea turtles.
17. The Gulf of Mexico is home to several species of hammerhead fish and even whale sharks.
18. Discovered just a few years ago, Holbox Island has become a prime location for whale shark watching. The area has now become an ecotourism area with the protection of these gentle giants.
19. is a widespread genus of seaweed that creates floating oases for marine species, from sea turtles and seahorses to tuna and snapper. Their clusters become so large and dense that they can be seen from space.
20. — iconic figures of the Florida coast. They can reach up to 12 feet (4 meters) in length and weigh more than 1,500 pounds (680 kg), but only 5,000 live in the wild in coastal habitat populations.
21. Brown pelicans were almost wiped out. However, about 60% of brown pelicans breed on the Gulf Coast and face many threats, including being caught in fishing lines and oiled.
22. Sperm whales are family groups, with a total of 500 to 1,500 individuals living in the bay.
23. Florida is the only state in the continental United States that has extensive coral reef formations near its shores (more than 60% of the coral reefs found in the United States are located around the extensive Hawaiian Island chain).
24. The Fleet Reef Tract extends 358 miles from Dry Tortuga National Park from the Florida Keys to St. Lucie Bay in Martin County, and about 2/3 of the FRT lies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS).
25. Coral reefs only grow in certain ecosystems with the right water depth and temperature and the right combination of nutrients and wave action. Reef growth is relatively slow - individual colonies grow from 0.5 to 17 centimeters per year.
26. Black coral, found in the Gulf of Mexico, is one of the slowest growing deep-sea corals, being up to 2,000 years old.
27. Most Florida fish species spend their lives around coral reefs.
28. Florida's coral reef ecosystems are extremely diverse: more than 6,000 species - including 520 species of fish; 128 varieties of starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers; 55 species of soft corals and 63 species of stony corals.
29. Once considered the most common and important coral species of the Caribbean on Elkhorn coral reefs (Acropora palmata) and (A. cervicornis) are now critically endangered, having declined by more than 90% since 1980.
30. Reef tourism generates approximately US$17.5 billion annually.
31. Coral reefs need platforms to grow, and creating artificial reefs is a popular tactic to help start new coral reefs to attract not only fish and tourists, but also tourists.
32. Sunken ships and oil platforms can be used to create artificial reefs.
33. At the end of 1998, 1,715 platforms were retired and donated as reef rigs to improve fisheries.
34. The bay has also seen many historical shipwrecks - over 750 shipwrecks are known to have sunk: many from the last world wars, but some dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
35. Agricultural runoff, largely due to overuse of fertilizers on agricultural fields, is causing record annual dead zones—areas where plankton blooms and oxygen levels die off, to the point where nothing can live in those areas.
36. A colossal 41% of the Mississippi River that pollutes the Gulf of Mexico is agricultural runoff.
37. Scientists say this summer's dead zone could be the largest since records in 1985, ranging from 8,500 to 9,421 square miles.
38. Fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico include red fish, amberjack, clams, swordfish, snapper, shrimp, crab and oysters.
39. The Gulf of Mexico has eight of the top twenty fishing ports in the country.
40. There are four main industries in the Gulf of Mexico - fishing, shipping, tourism and oil.
41. Interest in oil and gas amounts to US$124 billion, more than half of the total received by the four major industries. However, tourism comes in second place = approximately $100 billion US per year.
42. Oil exploration and drilling pose problems for marine animals, whales, fish and squid, causing noise pollution.
43. Some 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells beneath the Gulf are generally not monitored for potential environmental problems.
44. The BP Deepwater oil spill occurred for three months from April 20, 2010, releasing 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, making it the largest accidental oil spill at sea in the history of the oil industry.
45. Areas under threat for years after the spill include 8 US national parks. More than 400 species living on islands and marshes are at risk.
    
    
46. As of November 2, 2010, 6,814 dead animals had been collected, including 6,104 birds, 609 sea turtles, 100 dolphins and other mammals, and 1 reptile. An accurate count of the animals killed in the spill is impossible because BP workers collected and destroyed the animals before they were counted. Since January 1, 2011, 67 dolphins have been found dead in the area affected by the oil spill, of which 35 were newborn calves.
47. The bay is considered seismic; however, tremors are moderate—those recorded in history are usually 5.0 or less on the Richter magnitude scale

The Gulf of Mexico is a semi-enclosed sea washing the shores of Mexico, Cuba and Central America. Its waters form the beginning of the most important current in the Northern Hemisphere - the Gulf Stream. The Gulf of Mexico is rich in fish and marine arthropods, and the main sea routes for industrial and cruise ships in North America pass through its waters.

Geology

Most researchers often mention the cosmic origin of the Gulf of Mexico. Early in the Earth's formation, the future Gulf area was rocked by the impact of a large meteorite. A cloud of dust formed at the crash site, covering the Sun. The huge funnel was gradually filled with fresh waters of inland rivers mixed with the salty waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Over the course of many years, the rotation of the Earth changed the shape of the bay off the coast of Central America, and gradually it took on the shape that is familiar to us.

Story

The state of Mexico appeared on the world map relatively recently. But people have explored the Mexican Gulf coast since time immemorial. Before the era of great discoveries, the shores of the bay were inhabited by various tribes of Indians at different stages of development. The southern Gulf Coast was inhabited by the advanced slave-owning civilizations of Central America. Populous cities with developed infrastructure flourished here. Small tribes of Arawaks and Caribs lived in Cuba and lived by hunting and fishing.

The invasion of European conquerors led to a radical change in the way of life of the inhabitants of the Gulf Coast. The brutal conquests of the conquistadors bled the indigenous population of Central America dry. The Gulf of Mexico became the site of naval battles for ownership of sea routes from the New to the Old World. Gradually, the hard assimilation of the indigenous peoples of America gave way to a soft one. The Spanish and French colonial models allowed Americans to coexist alongside conquering peoples.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Mexican lands changed owners, and the system began to adapt to the new, aggressive Anglo-American way of life. The Louisiana Purchase, intervention in Florida, and occupation of Texas led to the complete US takeover of the entire Gulf Coast. As a result, the local population was pushed away from the coast, where new cities and industrial enterprises arose. Mexico appeared on the world map as an independent state in 1821.

Population

The population of the Gulf of Mexico has an extremely heterogeneous composition. White settlers of various nationalities live here: Cajuns, mulattoes, mestizos and African Americans.

Oil fields

The first oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico were discovered on the Gulf shelf by American marine geologists in 1896. The richest oil deposits: Agua Dals-Stratton, Cartridge, Caillou-Allen. They were discovered in the 30s of the 20th century. Oil fields in the Mexican part of the water area were discovered already in the 70s. The most famous oil deposits are the famous Bermudez, Cantarel and Iris Giraldas fields. In total, about five thousand oil fields were discovered, the vast majority of which are located in the waters of the United States.

Tragedy of 2010

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded. The tragedy occurred 80 kilometers from the Louisiana coast in US territorial waters. As a result of the tragedy, 11 people went missing and four were injured of varying degrees of severity. The platform's capacity was 8 thousand barrels of oil per day. After the explosion, a huge fire broke out on the platform, and after 36 hours of burning, it sank in the Gulf of Mexico. After the explosion and flooding, the well was put out of commission, and oil began to flow directly into the waters of the bay. This catastrophe caused negative consequences, first on a local and then on a global scale.

Oil slick with a total area of ​​965 square meters. km approached the US coast, posing a threat to beaches, shores and fishing areas. On April 26, underwater robots from an oil production company unsuccessfully attempted to repair a hole in the well. Strong waves and stormy winds prevented the repair flotilla from fully working in the disaster area. US government agencies began to contain the spill by burning the oil slick around the perimeter.

A catastrophe on a global scale

According to the most rough estimates, the Gulf of Mexico received 5 thousand barrels of oil per day. On June 4, 2010, the US National Center for Natural Research modeled six possible scenarios. According to these forecasts, oil in the Gulf of Mexico was expected to reach the Cuban coast. In the second half of August, the oil slick was supposed to leave the Gulf of Mexico and begin moving towards Europe.

Over the course of several months in 2010, BP specialists made repeated attempts to eliminate the consequences of the platform explosion. On June 9, US President Barack Obama issued an ultimatum to the company administration, according to which the perpetrators of the tragedy were given 72 hours to present a convincing plan to eliminate the disaster. On the night of June 12, the company installed a new plug weighing 70 tons at the site of the tragedy. The previous plug, which could not completely stop the leak, was dismantled. During the process of reinstalling the plugs, an additional 120 thousand barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

Day by day, the financial costs of BP to eliminate the consequences of the explosion and flooding of the platform are growing. As of June 14, 2010, its losses exceeded $1.6 billion. By September of the same year, costs increased 9 times.

As a result of this disaster, more than 57 thousand square meters. km were contaminated. The bay area is closed to tourism and fishing activities. Restoring the ecological balance in this area will require huge amounts of money and a long time.

The Gulf of Mexico is an inland sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean

Gulf of Mexico: coast, ecology, flora and fauna, disasters

Gulf of Mexico - definition

The Gulf of Mexico is space in the Atlantic Ocean, between the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas. According to the hydrological regime, it is a semi-enclosed sea, depth up to 3822 m. The river flows into. Mississippi is connected to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatan Strait. Water flow from the M. z. It gives rise to the Gulf Stream through the Straits of Florida. On the shelf - .

This is part of the Atlantic Ocean off the SE. shores of the North America, between the peninsulas of Florida, Yucatan and the island of Cuba. In the east it is connected by the Strait of Florida with the Atlantic Ocean, and in the south by the Yucatan Strait with the Caribbean Sea. Area 1555 thousand km². The average depth is 1500 m, the maximum is 3822 m. The water temperature in summer is 29 ° C, in winter from 18 ° C in the north to 25 ° C in the south. Salinity 36.0-36.9 ‰. Surface currents are directed clockwise. The Yucatan Current enters from the Caribbean Sea, and the outflowing Florida Current gives rise to the Gulf Stream. The tides are predominantly daily, up to 0.6 m. The low-lying shores of the bay are flooded during storm surges, the height of which reaches 5 m. Fishing (including tuna and sharks), oysters, shrimp, lobsters and turtles. North-west The shelf is rich in oil. Main ports: New Orleans (USA), Veracruz (), Havana (Cuba).

Gulf of Mexico is

- This a semi-enclosed sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean, off the southeastern coast of North America, between the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas and the island of Cuba. In the east it is connected by the Strait of Florida with the Atlantic Ocean, and in the south by the Yucatan Strait with the Caribbean Sea. Pl. 1555 thousand km², depth. up to 3822 m. Water temperature in summer 29 °C, in winter from 18 °C in the north to 25 °C in the south. Salinity 36.0-36.9‰. Surface currents are directed clockwise. The Yucatan Current entering from the Caribbean Sea has a speed of 0.5-2 m/s, and the outgoing Florida Current, which gives rise to the Gulf Stream, has a speed of up to 3 m/s. The tides are predominantly daily, up to 0.3-0.6 m. Low-lying shores are susceptible to flooding during storm surges, high. which reaches 5 m. To the center. parts at the bottom of the bay are an abyssal plateau with a group of underwater hills high. OK. 300 m. In the north, south and east, the bay is framed by a wide, up to 250 km, shelf, on which intensive fishing is carried out for fish, oysters, shrimp, lobsters and turtles. Throughout the entire water area of ​​the bay there is fishing for tuna and sharks. Northwestern The shelf is rich in oil. Basic ports: New Orleans, Houston ( USA), Veracruz ( Mexico), Havana (Cuba).

The Gulf of Mexico is inland sea of ​​the western Atlantic Ocean. Bounded on the northwest, north and east by the coast USA(states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas), in the south and southwest - by the coast Mexico(states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan), as well as the island of Cuba.

Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico

The explosion of an oil production rig is an accident that occurred on April 20, 2010, 80 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico and over time grew into a man-made disaster, first on a local, then on a regional scale, with negative consequences for the region’s ecosystem for many decades to come.

On April 20, 2010, at 22:00 local time (CTZ), an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon platform, causing a large fire. As a result of the explosion, seven people were injured, four of them are in critical condition, and 11 people are missing. In total, at the time of the emergency, 126 people were working on the drilling platform, which is larger than two football fields, and about 2.6 million liters of diesel fuel were stored. The platform's capacity was 8 thousand barrels per day.

Oil production derrick The Deepwater Horizon sank on April 22 after a 36-hour fire following a massive explosion. After the explosion and flooding oil rig was damaged and began to leak into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The 965-kilometer-wide oil slick has come within about 34 kilometers of the Louisiana coast, threatening beaches and fishing grounds that are critical to the economies of coastal states. On April 26, four BP underwater robots attempted to repair the leak without success. The flotilla, consisting of 49 tugs, barges, rescue boats and other vessels, was hampered by strong winds and rough seas. US emergency services began a controlled burn of an oil slick off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.

It is estimated that up to 5,000 are spilling into the waters in the Gulf of Mexico. barrels(about 700 tons or 795,000 liters) black gold per day.

On June 4, the US National Center for Atmospheric Research modeled six distribution options based on available climate data black gold. According to all six options, the oil-water emulsion will reach the northern coast of Cuba, including the beaches of Varadero, in early August this year. In the second half of August it may also appear on the northern coast of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula. The model of American scientists shows that the oil slick will in any case leave the Gulf of Mexico and begin to move into the North Atlantic in the direction of Europe.

On April 30, oil reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, and on May 6, the coast of Louisiana. On June 5, oil reached the coast of Florida, on June 28, the coast of Mississippi, and on July 6, oil reached the coast of Texas. Thus, all US states with access to the Gulf of Mexico have already suffered from the black gold spill.

As of July 16, 2010, the main well has been sealed, and according to BP, the release of black gold into the open ocean has stopped. However, the reliability of the design is in question, and BP representatives confirm that it is a temporary solution. As a result of installing a protective dome, additional leaks may occur if the underground part of the well is also damaged. A new leak was discovered a few kilometers from the well on the 18th. Despite the sealing, during the 85 days of the leak, the world's oceans were polluted by more than 4 million barrels petroleum products (approximately 0.54 million tons), and the consequences of the disaster are still difficult to assess.

August 4, 2010 organization BP announced that it had stopped the leak of black gold thanks to the hydrostatic pressure of the injected drilling fluid (operation "Static kill" - complete stop of the leak). A special heavy drilling fluid was first pumped into the well, and then cement.

September 8, 2010 organization BP published a Report on the investigation into the causes of the accident (193 pages). The report was prepared by a team of more than 50 specialists, led by BP's head of operational security, Mark Bly. The document listed the main errors that caused the accident:

The cement barriers at the bottom of the failed Macondo well were unable to trap hydrocarbons in the reservoir as they should have been, so gas and condensate leaked through them.

BP and Transocean mistakenly accepted negative results from a major safety test (a well leak test) even though the well was leaking.

The Transocean crew did not notice that hydrocarbons were flowing from the well. After this, the flow reached the well and should have been brought to the surface. When the gas reached the engine room through the ventilation system, it was a fire hazard, and the system did not prevent the fire. Even after the explosion and fire, automated robots were not deployed to plug the hole in the leaking well.

The leak of black gold amounted to 4.9 million barrels, or over half a cubic kilometer. This is the largest accidental oil spill in the United States, the scale of which exceeded the consequences of the Exxon Valdez tanker sinking off the coast of Alaska in 1989. Then about 260 thousand barrels of black gold spilled from the wrecked ship.

In early May 2010, US Barack Obama called what was happening in the Gulf of Mexico “a potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.” Spots of black gold were discovered in the water column of the Gulf of Mexico (one spot 16 km long and 90 meters thick at a depth of up to 1300 meters). Oil may continue to flow from the well until August.

Scientists from the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) made computer simulations of 6 possible options for the spread of an oil slick. All 6 options ended with the spot leaving the Gulf of Mexico and ending up in the so-called Gulf Stream Loop Current. Then the Gulf Stream carried him to the shores of Europe. The only differences were in the time the spot left the bay, the maximum being 130 days. However, scientists point out that this modeling is not an accurate forecast and simply serves as a warning of danger, since weather conditions and human cleanup can greatly affect the movement of oil pollution. At the time of the simulation, up to 800,000 barrels of black gold entered the water.

To combat oil stains on the surface of water, dispersants of the Corexit family are widely used: Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527.

Scientists have suggested that the black gold spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected the speed of the Gulf Stream.

Previously, attempts had been made to block three breakthroughs, but only one of them, the smallest one, was closed. The other two cannot be overlapped due to their size.

Primary operations are carried out by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise and the Q4000 multi-purpose semi-submersible platform on site. On May 7, the installation of a protective dome began on the site of the emergency oil production platform.

By May 16, it was possible to pump out black gold from the well using a one-mile pipe. But this was a temporary measure; definitive methods for eliminating the leak had not yet been developed. On May 28, an attempt was made to cement the well, but already on May 30, messages arrived that this could not be done.

On June 3, with the help of remotely controlled robots, it was possible to cut off the deformed part of the drill pipe and install a protective dome. However, this did not help completely stop the leakage of black gold.

June 9 by the administration president B. Obama was given an ultimatum by BP, which was given 72 hours to submit a final plan to eliminate the consequences of the explosion and stop the release of black gold.

On the night of July 12, BP installed a new protective device (plug) weighing 70 tons. The previous plug, which was unable to contain black gold, was removed on July 10, which could have spilled about 120 thousand barrels of black gold into the bay.

BP costs to eliminate the consequences of the accident are growing every day - figures were announced at 450 million, 600 million, 930 million, 990 million and 1.250 billion US dollars. As of June 14, 2010, losses amounted to 1.6 billion American dollars. According to BP on July 12, 2010, her expenses to eliminate the consequences of the accident have already amounted to 3.5 billion United States dollars, including $165 million of this amount went to cover payments for individual claims. By September 17 consumption reached 9.5 billion

As a result of the black gold spill, more than 171 miles of coastline in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida were contaminated. More than 57,000 sq. miles of bay area (about 24% of the area under US jurisdiction) is closed to fishing activities. Huge damage has been caused to fishing and tourism activities in the region.

Gulf of Mexico is

Origin and history of the Gulf of Mexico

Geological researchers put forward the following, quite often mentioned version of the origin of the bay. During the early formation of the Earth, the planet experienced a collision with a large meteorite. Scientists suggest that the collision with the meteorite created a huge cloud of dust that covered the sun, causing global cooling, and leading to the death of the dinosaurs. At the site of the collision, a well-preserved basin of almost regular round shape with a depth of up to 5203 m was formed, which was gradually filled with the waters of the Mississippi and Atlantic. Gradually, the rotation of the Earth gave the bay its modern shape. This version is confirmed by the Chicxulub crater. However, no geological evidence of this version has yet been found, so today it can be considered speculative.

Before the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries of Europeans, the shores of the bay were inhabited by a wide variety of American Indian tribes, at different stages of development. In the south, in Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula, quite economically advanced slave-owning civilizations and the Aztecs flourished with large cities and developed infrastructure. The tribes of the Caribs and Arawaks lived in Cuba. On the northern, cool shore of the bay lived tribes of hunters and gatherers (Choctaws), who were at the stage of a tribal/communal system. The arrival of Europeans and especially the struggle between European powers over the waters and shores of the gulf led to a gradual breakdown of the traditional ways of life of the Indian communities of the region. And if the Spanish (Spanish, Spanish Florida) and French (French Louisiana, New) colonial models largely allowed the natives, African slaves and Europeans to coexist within a single colonial empire, partly making concessions in the form of plazaage and mestization, then the more aggressive Anglo- the American model emphasized the absolute superiority of the Anglo-Saxon element as the only possible one. Following the Louisiana Purchase, the occupation of Florida, and the annexation of Texas in the first half of the 19th century, the northern shore of the Gulf came under US jurisdiction and underwent dramatic landscape changes associated with urban development and rapid population growth. Today the population of the Bay is extremely mixed - white settlers of various origins, Cajuns, African Americans, mulattoes and mestizos (mainly Mexicans and Cubans).

Non-cultural Mayan The Mesoamerican Gulf Coast is usually clearly divided into three distinct regions: the northern, or Huastec, area, from about the river. Soto la Marina in the north to the river. Casones in the south; central region - from the river. Casones to r. Papaloapan and the southern region extending to the river. Tonala.

Northern region

In the Early Postclassic period(900-1200) there was an expansion of the Toltecs from Central Mexico into this region, established by ceramics found in settlements such as Castillo de Teayo. There is a step pyramid 11 m high with a staircase on the north-west side and the ruins of a temple on top.

It is likely that many of the characteristic features of the Early Postclassic period appeared in the late Postclassic period (1200-1500), but very noticeable new features appeared in ceramics. The most typical are the so-called portrait vessels made of white clay, painted with red-brown and black subjects, often with curved spouts. Drawings depicting faces were made in such a way as to emphasize characteristic features. The subjects of the drawings, combinations of rectangles, circles and triangles, have often been compared with similar paintings of pottery objects traded by the Anasazi culture in the southwestern United States, but the shapes of the vessels there are different.

Central region

The Early Postclassic (900-1200) was the heyday of Tajín, a city of the Totonac Indians, the largest known pre-Hispanic city on the Gulf Coast (its ruins are in Veracruz, Mexico) and one of the largest in Mesoamerica. Its architectural style is characterized by reverse bevels, cornices, niches, panels with patterns in the form of a “Greek” meander, large open windows and flat roofs up to 85 cm thick, which did not require any intermediate supports; it occupied an area of ​​more than 10 square meters. km on hills covered with dense rain forest. The two largest cities of the classical era, Tajin and Cholula, are also interesting because they were not abandoned by 900.

The name "Sempoala" means "abundance of water", as evidenced by the city's complex water supply system. Aqueducts carried water to stone-lined underground channels that branched throughout the city. The system used to supply water to houses consisted of a slightly inclined channel leading to a house tank, from which another channel led to the next house, and so on. From the last house, an outlet channel supplied water to an irrigation canal.

By the end of this period, a strong Central Mexican influence had already become apparent in both ceramics and architecture. Painted pottery, alabaster vessels, and cruciform tombs belonging to the Pueblo-Mixteca cultural complex centered at Cholula are found at many sites south of Cempoala to the area called Mixtequilla. A four-level pyramid in the Aztec style was found in Cuaotocco.

Geography of the Gulf of Mexico

The Strait of Florida connects the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean, and the Yucatan Strait with the Caribbean Sea. Due to the relatively small width of these straits, tidal phenomena are weakly expressed. Many rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico, including the river. Mississippi, r. Alabama, r. Pearl (pearl), b. Nueces, b. San Antonio.

The coastline is extremely rugged and subject to constant change, especially after the hurricane season. The banks are mostly flat, sometimes very swampy (Everglades swamps). Sand spits, shoals, banks, chalk and large islands (Galveston Island, Dolphin Island, etc.) stretch along the coast. At the same time, a gradual shallowing of the northern part of the bay occurs due to the sediment activity of rivers flowing in from the northern side (primarily the Mississippi River). Despite shallowing, the surface area tends to increase, mainly due to the erosion of beaches and small islands (the almost disappeared Chandelure Islands) near Louisiana/Louisiana. In the northern part of the bay there are many smaller bays, bays and harbors (Mobile Bay, etc.), as well as lagoons and estuaries (Pontchantrain, Borgne, Maurepas in Louisiana).

Gulf of Mexico population

The largest cities on the coast of Mexico: Campeche, Veracruz, Tampico; Cuba: capital Havana, USA: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Pensacola in Florida, Mobile in Alabama, New Orleans in Louisiana, Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula in Mississippi, Houston, Galveston and Corpus Christi in Texas. The second half of the 20th century saw rapid urban growth and population density in the Bay Area. Resorts and oil and gas centers (Houston) are developing most dynamically.

Significant reserves of petroleum products and Natural gas are concentrated on the shelf of the Gulf of Mexico; The extraction of these minerals is carried out mainly through oil rigs/oil production platforms. There is intensive fishing - industrial (tuna), as well as amateur (shark). Shrimp are grown in shallow bays. Important for shipping, many ports in the United States, Mexico and Cuba are located.

Recreational potential of the Gulf of Mexico

As the largest body of water in the southern United States, the bay has traditionally had important transport significance. In the 20th century, a recreational role was added to it, when the governments of coastal states began to invest money to develop local tourism infrastructure to stimulate urban growth to attract retiring residents of the American north. Since the 1930s, people from all over the country have flocked to the Gulf coast. The coast is currently a favorite spring, autumn and summer holiday destination for residents throughout the country, especially students. The cities of Panama City, Pensacola, Destin, Miami in Florida, and Orange Beach in Alabama are especially popular. The entire coast of the bay is dotted with a variety of hotels, private villas and condominiums. The largest resort in Mexico is Cancun.

Not all of the bay coast is suitable for a good rest. Due to severe swampiness, constant hurricanes and storms, hot and humid air, poor quality sand and muddy water, the northern part of the bay, especially the area around the mouth of the Mississippi River, is simply unsuitable for recreation. However, families with low social status and benefits come here as "savages", which is why the gulf coast has received the playful name of the "redneck riviera". In more attractive regions (Destin, etc.) in the east, other dangers await tourists (dangerous tidal currents, massive invasions of poisonous jellyfish and stingrays, electric eels, many species of sharks, alligators and saltwater crocodiles). Because of sharks, most Americans vacationing near the bay either don't go into the water at all (swimming in hotel pools) or just get their feet wet and sunbathe.

Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico

The northern part of the bay, which belongs to the United States, has an extremely unfavorable environmental situation. The main cause of pollution is the abuse of powerful chemical fertilizers by US agricultural enterprises to increase crop yields in fields and plantations north of the Gulf. The chemicals are washed by rain and rivers into the bay, where they in turn stimulate the growth of small brown algae, which process their mass reproduction absorbs all the oxygen in the water around them, which leads to the death of fish and other organisms. Another problem is the massive construction of large residential complexes (condominiums) directly at the water's edge.

The gently sloping, swampy shore of the bay is not suitable for multi-storey construction. Frequent hurricanes, which are nature's method of renewing coastal regions, force construction companies to carry out massive renovation and construction projects. work high-rise buildings every 2-3 years, which leads to the destruction of the ecological balance in the dunes, construction waste dumps, and deterioration in quality sand, beach erosion, disappearance of coastal floodplains and mangrove forests, increased salinity in the northern part of the bay. Moreover, wastewater from condominiums attracts sharks closer to the shore, and increased salinity leads to a massive proliferation of poisonous jellyfish, creating a danger for vacationers.

Fauna of the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico continental shelf may contain more diversity than any other area of ​​similar size within coastal waters North America. The composition of shelf waters and their circulation are complex due to the fact that they mix with the waters of rivers flowing from areas adjacent to the shelf of the United States. The nature of the bottom is extremely varied. Fauna and flora combine elements of the temperate zone Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea in proportions depending on the place and time of year.

Plankton reproduces abundantly on the shelf, providing food for a variety of marine life.

The main commercial fish of the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent basins, menhaden (30-50 cm), feed on plankton. Menhaden are found in large schools close to the surface, close to the shores.

The herring are hunted by the bluefish (30 cm-1m), the only representative of the bluefish family, a predatory schooling fish that lives in the subtropical waters of all seas and oceans. Swordfish (4-4.5 m, 400 kg) and blue marlin (5 m, 700 kg) are also found here. Marlins and swordfish are objects of recreational and sport fishing. Bluefish and tuna are among the bay's commercial fish. Yellowtail flounder and blackback flounder are found on the bay bottom.

Gray croakers (90 cm, 9 kg) from the croaker family, related to the Black Sea croakers, also live near the bottom, feeding on benthic invertebrates and small fish.

In the same place, at the mouth of the Mississippi, there are large fish - Atlantic tarpon (2-2.4 m, from 45 to 150 kg) from the order Tarponidae, the tarpon family. These fish are very prolific and numerous, but are not of interest as an object of industrial fishing because they are tasteless. However, they are caught by sport fishing enthusiasts, competing with fish in strength and dexterity.

Several species of sharks live in the Gulf of Mexico: white, tiger, lemon, bull, mako, hammerhead, etc.

The Mexican net ray (Springeria folirostris) lives only in the Gulf of Mexico. In this species, the snout in front of the thread-like extension is expanded and flattened, forming a peculiar leaf-like structure. These are rare and little-studied fish that live at depths exceeding 300 m. Their way of life is completely unknown.

Also found here is the Mobula stingray, whose wingspan reaches 3.5 m. These stingrays are considered an endangered species. Their numbers are rapidly declining due to industrial fishing.

The bay is also home to large numbers of golden stingrays, which resemble giant leaves floating in the sea.

Three species of hydrolagus (Hydrolagus) of the Chimaera family are found in the bay. The oil extracted from the liver of these fish is prized and used as a medicine and lubricant.

In addition to fish, oysters and shrimp are fished in the Gulf of Mexico. The most abundant shrimp in the bay are brown, followed by white and the rarest, pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum). It's a coincidence that pink shrimp live in the northwest Gulf, as they typically live hundreds of miles away, mostly along the southwest coast of Florida. Pink shrimp spawn on the shelf.

The largest number of spawning individuals is concentrated near Dry Tortugas, an area of ​​reefs and coral islets near the city of Key West. Commercial fishing has been carried out here for decades, but not until the late 1950s. it became known that there was a spawning ground in the Tortugas area.

The spiny lobster, which is large in size (50-75 cm), lives in the Gulf of Mexico. Lobsters are large crustaceans from the order of decapods.

“Sea cows” (manatees) live in the coastal waters here. They feed on marine and freshwater plants, as well as terrestrial plants hanging over the water. In the United States, the manatee is protected by law.

Turtles are found in large numbers in the shallow waters of the bay.

On the Gulf Coast you can find such exotic birds as the pelican, flamingo, and green kingfisher. Alligators and several types of poisonous snakes are also found here.

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Flora of the Gulf of Mexico

The region's vegetation is predominantly tropical, but differences in topographic, soil and climatic conditions increase species diversity. The islands' porous limestone terraces tend to be nutrient-poor. An estimated 13,000 plant species grow in the region, of which 6,500 are endemic, such as the guaiac tree and the Bayahibe rose. In coastal areas, coconut palms are common, lagoons and river estuaries are overgrown with dense mangroves (red and black mangrove)

Oil and gas basin of the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico oil and gas basin is located within one of the largest depressions in the earth's crust, the most depressed part of which is occupied by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The depression has an almost isometric shape with a diameter of about 1800 km and is filled with Cenozoic and Mesozoic sediments up to 15 km thick. The terrestrial part of the basin occupies the Mexican Lowland and is located in the southern states of the United States (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, partially Alabama, Georgia and Florida) and Mexico (the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco). To the south-east it is bounded by a fault separating it from the Antillean geosynclinal system.

The ground part is complicated by a number of large depressions and uplifts. The subaquatic part of the basin includes the shelf, continental slope and abyssal plain with a bottom depth of up to 4 km. The entire basin as a whole is characterized by the manifestation of salt tectonics with salt of Early Jurassic or Permian age.

More than 2,000 oil and gas fields have been identified here, including more than 200 in the subaqueous part. Oil and gas potential is associated with Miocene, Paleogene and Cretaceous, and to a lesser extent Pliocene and Jurassic deposits. The reservoirs are predominantly sandstones for the Cenozoic and limestones for the Cretaceous rocks. To the north-west Carboniferous and Ordovician sandstones and limestones are also oil and gas bearing. Most of the deposits of black gold and gas are associated with local platform-type uplifts, salt-dome structures and zones of pinching out sand deposits. In the Mexican part, oil fields are also known, confined to anticlines of linear folding and extended reef zones. In the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas basin, several giant deposits are known (black gold - East Texas, gas - Monroe, Carthage, etc.).

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Oil production in the basin in Mexico has been carried out since the beginning of the 20th century. (Tampico area), in the United States - since the 20s. 20th century Its rapid growth was facilitated by the opportunity to use sea transport to transport black gold. Natural gas It has been mined intensively since the 2nd World War. In the 60-70s. 20th century in the basin, underwater exploration is underway to obtain black gold and gas on the coastal shallows of the US states - Texas and Louisiana; oil and petroleum products reserves on the shelf are estimated at 374 million tons (1969). Developing oil production from the bottom of the sea also in Mexico (in the southeast). Gas reserves in the United States are scattered across small fields, making their exploitation difficult. The basin produces 30% of the black gold mined in the United States (over 140 million tons in 1971; production in the state of Louisiana greatly increased in the 60-70s) and 100% of black gold (21.9 million tons in 1971) and gas (18.2 million m3) in Mexico.

A large oil refinery arose on the territory of the basin, using oil from local deposits and from other oil-bearing provinces. About 1/3 of the capacity of US oil refining plants is located here (about 200 million tons were processed at basin plants in 1971) and about 3/4 of the capacity in Mexico (22 million tons in 1971); major oil refining centers in the USA: Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, in Mexico - Tampico, Ciudad Madero, Minatitlan. The petrochemical industry has achieved great development in the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas basin. Oil from the basin through pipelines, Natural gas and petroleum products are transferred to other areas of the USA and Mexico.

Gulf of Mexico in facts and figures

Location: south-eastern section North America, between the Florida and Yucatan peninsulas, as well as the island of Cuba.

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Ethnic composition: whites, mestizos, African Americans.

Languages: English, Spanish.

Religions: Protestantism, Catholicism.

Currency units: United States, Mexican peso (MPP).

The largest rivers flowing into the bay: Mississippi, Rio Grande, Colorado, Brazos, Alabama.

The most important ports: Havana (Cuba) - 2,135,498 people. (2010), Veracruz (Veracruz, Mexico) -552,156 people. (2010), New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) - 360,740 people. (2011).

Largest cities: Mexico (Tampico, Tamaulipas, - 305,554 people, 2010, San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche, - 220,389 people, 2010), USA (Houston, Texas, - 2,099,451 people, 2010, Tampa, Florida - 335,709 people, 2010, Mobile, Alabama - 195,111 people, 2010, Biloxi, Mississippi - 45,670 people, 2008)

Largest islands: Cuba, Galveston (Texas, USA).

Area: 1.6 million km2.

Length of coastline: from Cape Sable (south of Florida, USA) to the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) - 5505 km (USA - 2700 km, Mexico - 2805 km), the northwestern coast of the island of Cuba - 380 km. The length from east to west is 1600 km. The length from north to south is 900 km.

Average depth: 1615 m.

Maximum depth: Sigsbee Deep (4384 m).

Water volume: 2434 thousand km3.

Salinity: on the surface - 36.0-36.9%°, at a depth of more than 2000 m - 34.98%."

Tides: mostly daily, up to 0.6 m.

Evaporation per year: 1000-1750 mm.

The climate is tropical in the south, subtropical in the north.

Average air temperature in January: Veracruz (Veracruz, Mexico) +19°C, New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) +12°C.

Average air temperature in July: Veracruz (Veracruz, Mexico) +31°C, New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) +28°C.

Average water temperature in summer: +29°C.

Average water temperature in winter: from +18°C in the north, to +25°C in the south.

Average annual precipitation: 1000-1200 mm.

Relative humidity: 60-80%.

Attractions of the Gulf of Mexico

Natural: Everglades National Park (Florida, USA); resorts: Key Biscayne, Pensacola, Destin, Miami, Panama City (Florida, USA), Orange Beach (Alabama, USA), Cancun (Mexico);

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Historical and cultural: city ruins Mayan(Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico); Aztec pyramids (Mexico);

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City of Havana (Cuba): La Fuerza fortress (second half of the 16th century), Santa Clara Monastery (mid-17th century), Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (mid-17th century), Town Hall (late 18th century), Cathedral Square with the 18th century Cathedral c., memorial complex named after Jose Marti, Prado Boulevard, National Capitol (first half of the 20th century), Grand Theater of Havana;

The Gulf of Mexico is located in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and is an inland sea. It is limited to the north, northwest and east by the coast of the United States, on which the states are located: Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Adjacent to the southwest and south are the territories of the Mexican states of Tabasco, Veracruz, Tamaulipa, Yucatan and Campeche, as well as the island. Cuba.

The area of ​​the Gulf of Mexico is 1,543,000 square meters. km, water volume – 2,332,000 cubic meters. km. The Gulf of Mexico has an average depth of 1.5 km, with a maximum depth of about 4 km. The bay has an oval shape and powerful tropical hurricanes and storms form here, which annually destroy coastal cities and villages (for example, Hurricane Katrina). Nevertheless, the waters of the bay play an important role in the economies of coastal countries. This is one of the warmest seas on the planet. The waters of the bay are quite saline, about 38%. How the Gulf of Mexico was formed is still unclear; one version suggests that the bowl of the Gulf occurred from the collision of the Earth with a large meteorite, but this is only a version.

In the Gulf of Mexico, tidal phenomena are weakly expressed, since the Florida Straits, connecting the Gulf with the Atlantic, and the Yucatan Strait with the Caribbean Sea are narrow. The largest rivers, the Mississippi, Alabama, Nueces, Pearl and San Antonio, flow into the Gulf of Mexico. River sediments shallow the northern part of the bay, and yet here there is the largest number of lagoons, small bays, estuaries and creeks. The shores of the Gulf of Mexico are flat and marshy, and the coastline can change greatly after past hurricanes. There are many large and small islands and shoals off the coast.
The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are home to several species of sharks: white, bull, lemon, hammerhead, as well as dolphins and stingrays. The coastal mangroves are home to island shrimp, yellow and nurse sharks spend some part of their lives here, trout, lobsters, and crocodiles have a small homeland here.
About a century ago, these places became a kind of oasis for American retirees, later - recreation areas during the holidays; the entire western and eastern coast is actively being built up (then restored after hurricanes) with hotels and villas. The northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico is completely unsuitable for life, but here, too, an analogue of the Soviet “nakhalovki” arose - unauthorized development of the coast by marginal strata of society. The east coast also does not spoil its inhabitants - the waters of the bay are teeming with sharks, poisonous jellyfish, alligators and saltwater crocodiles.
The coastal areas of Mexico are built up with large cities and famous resorts (Cancun and Cozumel Island). The Mexican coast is famous for its coral reefs, clean water and beaches, as well as a developed tourism and recreation infrastructure.
The Gulf of Mexico shelf has huge reserves of natural gas and oil, which are produced using oil rigs and platforms. Fish and shrimp are harvested on an industrial scale. The Gulf of Mexico is an area of ​​active shipping and there are major seaports of coastal countries: New Orleans (USA), Havana (Cuba) and Veracruz (Mexico).
From 1912 to 1935, a 248 km long maritime railway connected the southernmost point of the United States - the island of Key West and the Florida Peninsula. Now the island and the mainland are connected by a 7-mile bridge.
In April 2010, one of the largest man-made disasters occurred - an explosion and a day and a half fire destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, killing 13 people as a result of the accident. Oil was pouring out of a well located at a depth of 1500 m for 5 months. As a result of the disaster, the inhabitants of the sea died and hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs.
The waters of the Gulf of Mexico, flowing into the Atlantic through the Strait of Florida, give rise to the warm Gulf Stream.