Today's analysis is based on RGB and ocean color imagery from Monday and Tuesday, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from yesterday (Tuesday), and today's infrared (IR) satellite imagery. Please be sure to see the latest Quicktime movie on the ocean circulation based on the signature surface water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico that we added to our website (www.roffs.com). The base map for today's analysis is an IR image composite from this morning. The relatively cooler water moving along the south/southwestern side of the forming meso-scale Loop Current eddy moved west/northwestward approximately 40-50 miles in the last 24 hours and was seen near 88°45'W & 25°00'N. The width of this band between 87°00'W & 24°15'N and 87°45'W & 24°35'N continues to narrow and continues to provide some evidence that the forming eddy continues to pull some water originating from the Loop Current northeast of the Yucatan Peninsula toward this eddy. IF this continues, then the further development of the eddy is in jeopardy. The surface oil depicted as an olive green shape, seen with RGB and SAR imagery from Monday and Tuesday suggests that surface oil continues to be pulled toward the counterclockwise eddy centered near 85°50'W & 27°40'N. There continues to be some uncertainty about the surface coverage of the oil as some the area appears to have narrow tendril like slicks compared with a single complete slick. The narrow tendrils of the water that originated from the oil spill site that occur east (84°45'W & 27°32'N) and southeast (84°35'W & 25°45'N) of the eddy continue to slowly move southward. The elongated tendril that has reached 84°35'W & 25°45'N appears to be getting compressed and blending with the surrounding waters as it moves farther southwestward.  It was observed as a 1-2 mile wide band of water today.  The eastern boundary of the forming Loop Current eddy (or actual Loop Current since there is no separation yet) appears to have remained relatively stable over the west Florida continental shelf west of Tampa over the past 24 hours.
In the De Soto Canyon area we received verification yesterday of the surface oil sheen near 87°30'W & 29°05'N. We also received a fishing report from May 21, 2010 that there was good fishing action with dolphin and marlin near 87°00'W & 29°30'N. Of course you know that fishermen do not like us to provide exact location data and prefer that we delay their reports. If not, welcome to the world of fishing. The offshore pool of suspected oil (grey shape) located southwest of the Florida Panhandle continues to move away from the coast. However, we received two unconfirmed reports of tar balls near the Alabama - Florida border yesterday. We have not been mapping the coastal oil, but colleagues of ours have reported that oil appears to be moving toward the Florida coast in that area.

Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc. (ROFFS) 60 Westover Drive, West Melbourne, Florida 32904 Toll Free 800 677-7633 and 321.723.5759 / /WWW.ROFFS.COM Email: fish7@roffs.com