Satellite photography of eddies in the Gulf Loop Current

Cyclonic ocean eddies, approximately 12‐32 kilometers in diameter, have been photographed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by SKYLAB. Apparently caused by horizontal velocity shear, these features are associated with the Gulf Loop Current, whose position was known a fortnight before and after the observation. The eddies were discovered in sunglint‐enhanced patterns of streamlines on the surface, and appear to be embedded in the flow.