Currents are generally slow, controlled by layers of moving water, meandering through the ocean at a pace of mostly less than one knot, or 1.15 miles per hour. But the Loop Current can move quite quickly, achieving rates of two to three knots, or up to 3.5 miles per hour. The Loop Current is a continuous but highly variable warm-water current that emanates out of the Caribbean Sea and loops clockwise through the Gulf of Mexico before flowing through the Florida Straits and merging with the Gulf Stream off the east coast of Florida.
Current affairs
While currents exist in many places in the world, the phenomenon known as the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current cuts through a prime oil and gas producing region, where the current and its eddies can complicate deepwater activities. Meteorologist Steve Lyons explains the ins and outs of the Loop Current to Jennifer Pallanich.
15 April 2016 0:00 GMT
Updated
15 April 2016 0:00 GMT
