The potential vorticity flux through the Yucatan Channel and the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico

[1] Two-year-long time series of current and density structure measurements across the Yucatan Channel's main section allow the calculation of the time-dependent potential vorticity flux between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, which is characterized by alternating periods of positive (cyclonic) and negative (anti-cyclonic) vorticity influx. Periods of negative cumulative vorticity influx are related to the Loop Current extending into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas periods of positive cumulative vorticity influx relate to a Loop Current retraction, sometimes coincident with the shedding of an anti-cyclonic eddy.