Gulf Stream

The majority of the Gulf Stream is classified as a western boundary current. This means that it is a current with behavior determined by the presence of a coastline - in this case the eastern United States and Canada - and is found on the western edge of an oceanic basin. Western boundary currents are normally very warm, deep, and narrow currents that carry water from the tropics to the

The Gulf Loop Current, a circular stream of warm water that runs through the Gulf of Mexico during the spring and summer, is basically the highway upon which the oil slick would travel. The loop pulls currents from the Caribbean Basin and around the Gulf of Mexico. After water is dragged south and through the Florida Strait, it enters the Atlantic Ocean and joins with the more powerful Gulf Stream.