The authors seem to have answered all the comments of the reviewers and the new version is now shorter and easier to rad than the previous version. I do, however, have a few minor points that should be corrected before the manuscript can be accepted.

1. Line 41 in the abstract states that wind stress was analyzed. As this analysis was taken out at the suggestion of a reviewer, “wind stress” should be removed from this line.
2. Lines 81-84. These lines were added at the suggestion of a reviewer. It would be helpful to readers if the authors could add what they mean by “warmer and more saline waters.” Give some data on the mean salinity and temperature of the CW and how it compares with the rest of the surface water in the Gulf of Mexico.
3. Lines 264-275: this paragraph doesn’t make sense as written. It includes the sentence (line 268) “From May to August, the monthly ratio descended to 1.36.” However, in line 272 the August ratio is given as 1.60. Line 268 also says “Ratio values greater than 1 were found in February…” Presumably this should be greater than 1.6. Please check the numbers given for each month and the mean values for the seasonal periods. Is this really a biannual cycle? It looks as though numbers are low in summer, high in fall/winter/spring.
4. Line 393: this would be clearer if written as “be attributed to the different ways in which the two groups treated the data.”
5. Schmitz (2005) does not appear to be in the text and should be removed from the reference list.

Once these changes have been made, I will accept the manuscript.

Thanks for making the changes. However, in line 271, 153 should be corrected to 1.53. I don't need to see this again before publication.