Collaborative Research: Why does the Loop Current have such an irregular ring-shedding cycle?

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The most puzzling aspect of the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico is the manner in which it sheds rings. Ring-shedding is of great interest to biological oceanography and fisheries applications and has a practical effect on commercial shipping and drilling. Data going back to the 1970's indicates the rate at which rings are shed but the mechanism that causes rings to separate is not known. Current numerical models can get most of the flow details of the Loop Current correct but not the timing of ring shedding and without assimilating sea surface height data, the models fail to capture ring shedding at all. In this study, historical data on ring separations will be analyzed to test recent theoretical hypotheses about ring shedding mechanisms.