review of SSH, SST, and MODIS ocean color imagery, starting late March 2005, ows the Loop Current is pushing north in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. With this orthward extension , it appears from the SST imaggery in particular that a new LC dy may soon separate. The eddy field in the NW Gulf has been changing geometry, o, as the LC continues to extend northward in the eastern Gulf. ecifically, in late March the gradient of SSH went from geerally high over the shelf low over the slope. This gradient a deepwater cyclone-anticyclone pair shifted ometry, but the pair coontinued to entrain low temperatue, high CHL water from the ntinental shelf in the western Gulf and transport this off margin, into very deep wate the Alaminos Canyon area. This off-margin transport shows up particulary well in e series of MODIS ocean color imagery, 23 March to 12 April (see attached). ynopsis by Doug Biggs, 15 April 2005)