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Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Status Report

Metadata Updated: November 1, 2023

The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most ecologically and economically valuable marine ecosystems in the world and is affected by a variety of natural and anthropogenic phenomena including climate, hurricanes, coastal development, agricultural runoff, oil spills, and fishing. These complex and interacting stressors, together with the highly dynamic nature of this ecosystem, present challenges for the effective management of its resources. We analyze a compilation of over 100 indicators representing physical, biological, and economic aspects of the Gulf of Mexico and find that an ecosystem-wide reorganization occurred in the mid-1990s. Further analysis of fishery landings composition data indicates a major shift in the late 1970s coincident with the advent of US national fisheries management policy, as well as significant shifts in the mid-1960s and the mid-1990s. These latter shifts are aligned temporally with changes in a major climate mode in the Atlantic Ocean: the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). We provide an explanation for how the AMO may drive physical changes in the Gulf of Mexico, thus altering higher-level ecosystem dynamics. The hypotheses presented here should provide focus for further targeted studies, particularly in regard to whether and how management should adjust to different climate regimes or states of nature. Our study highlights the challenges in understanding the effects of climatic drivers against a background of multiple anthropogenic pressures, particularly in a system where these forces interact in complex and nonlinear ways.

Access & Use Information

License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Date September 28, 2023
Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
Metadata Updated Date November 1, 2023
Reference Date(s) 2016 (creation), (publication)
Frequency Of Update

Metadata Source

Harvested from NMFS SEFSC

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date September 28, 2023
Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
Metadata Updated Date November 1, 2023
Reference Date(s) 2016 (creation), (publication)
Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:30673
Access Constraints Cite As: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Status Report [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/30673., Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: Not for use in litigation Please cite as appropriate
Bbox East Long -76
Bbox North Lat 32
Bbox South Lat 18
Bbox West Long -98
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update
Harvest Object Id 205693ca-52b7-4214-81ed-8e8a3e81b8f4
Harvest Source Id ca759a40-507d-4d0c-8f8c-64b3c5e05066
Harvest Source Title NMFS SEFSC
Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
Lineage
Metadata Language eng
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-98.0, 18.0], [-76.0, 18.0], [-76.0, 32.0], [-98.0, 32.0], [-98.0, 18.0]]]}
Progress completed
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 2011

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