Recent measurements in water depths of 2000 m in the vicinity of the Sigsbee Escarpment, south of New Orleans, show the presence of recurring high speed current episodes, some of which had velocities greater than 85 cm/s only 10 m above the local bottom. In the Gulf of Mexico, currents above about 1000 m are not locally coupled with the relatively depth-independent currents in the deeper layers. Topographic Rossby waves, with periods of approximately 10 to 14 days, appear to control the dynamics of the lower water-column. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union