Upper-Oceanic Warming in the Gulf of Mexico between 1950 and 2020

Abstract We estimate ocean heat content (OHC) change in the upper 2000 m Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from 1950 to 2020 improve understanding regional warming. Our estimates are based on 192 890 temperature profiles World Ocean Database. Warming occurs at all depths and most regions except for a small region northeastern GOM between 200 600 m. OHC increases rate 0.38 ± 0.13 ZJ decade −1 1970 2020, which is equivalent 1.21 0.41 terawatts (TW). The sea surface (SST) increased ∼1.0° 0.25°C warming 0.19° 0.05°C . Although SST approximately twice that global ocean, full-depth storage (0.86 0.26 W −2 ) applied entire comparable (0.82–1.11 ). upper-1000-m layer accounts 80%–90% total variations GOM. Loop Current advective net flux estimated be 40.7 6.3 TW through A budget analysis shows difference (1.76 1.36 TW, 1992–2017) can roughly balanced with annual ECCO (−37.9 TW).