Surveys the physical features, geological borders, climate and currents, water, plant and animal life, and economic and ecological aspects of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

Explores the geology, weather patterns, ecology, and civilization in and around the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Covers the geography, climate, resources, and history of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico regions.

Surveys the origin, geological borders, climate, water, plant and animal life, and economic and ecological aspects of the Caribbean Sea.

The many economic factors affecting sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico region are perhaps as important as the waves on its shores and its abundant marine life. This second volume in Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota (a multivolumed work edited by John W. Tunnell Jr., Darryl L. Felder, and Sylvia A. Earle) assesses the Gulf of Mexico as a single economic region. The book provides information and baseline data useful for assessing the goals of economic and environmental sustainability in the Gulf. In five chapters, economists, political scientists, and ecologists from Florida, California, Louisiana, Texas, Maine, and Mexico cover topics such as: the idea of the Gulf as a transnational community; the quantitative value of its productivity; a summary of the industries dependent on the Gulf, including shipping, tourism, oil and gas mining, fisheries, recreation, and real estate; the human uses and activities that affect coastal economies; and the economic trends evident in Mexico's drive toward coastal development. This first-of-its-kind reference work will be useful to scientists, economists, industry leaders, and policy makers whose work requires an understanding of the economic issues involved in science, business, trade, exploration, development, and commerce in the Gulf of Mexico.

This volume, covers the waters from the Gulf Coast of the United States to the Bay of Campeche and from the east coast of Mexico to 85 W (just shy of the west coast continental shelf of Florida). Pacific Ocean waters in and around the Gulf of Tehuantepec are also included. Charts are provided for Precipitation; Tropical Cyclones; Air Temperature; Sea Surface-Temperature; Surface Winds; Visibility; Clouds; Ceiling and Visibility; Wave-Heights; Ocean Currents.