GoMRI eNews · Mar 10, 2015 · ← All issues

Keeping you current on emerging Gulf science and the people investigating the effects of oil spills on the environment and public health.

March 10, 2015                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Study Describes Two New “Mud Dragon” Species Discovered in Gulf of Mexico

Scientists from Troy University and the University of Copenhagen, who are studying potential oil spill impacts on seafloor-dwelling marine life, examined microscopic invertebrates that live in the sediment (meiofauna).

Grad Student Smith Keeps Surface Currents and Disaster Response on His Radar

After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, many Gulf residents wanted to know where the oil was going and how fast it would get there. Conor Smith is improving the accuracy and turn-around time of satellite-derived surface current velocity estimates for better ocean transport information.

Smithsonian Slideshow Highlights GoMRI Research Activities

Scientists funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) are investigating the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the environment and public health and contributing to improved response technologies.

From the Archives

Student Drifter Competition for Coastal Oil Experiment has Cascading Wins

Posted on February 21, 2014
It was a tall order, but high school students rose to the challenge: they integrated physics, engineering, and scientific curiosity and created functional data-gathering drifters.

The Tiniest Survivors

Posted on March 21, 2013
The bay anchovy is the most important fish you've never heard of.

Publications
Study Shows Planktonic Ciliates Sensitivity to Oil and Dispersant
Toxicity of dispersant Corexit 9500A and crude oil to marine microzooplankton. Almeda, et al., Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2014, 106, 76–85.
 
Study Indicates Oil Snow Stimulated Benthic Microbial Oil Degradation 
Microbial enzymatic activity and secondary production in sediments affected by the sedimentation pulse following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ziervogel, et al., Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography  2014, online doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.04.003. 
 
Study Provides Base Line Carbon Isotope Data for Gulf Sediment
Employing extant stable carbon isotope data in Gulf of Mexico sedimentary organic matter for oil spill studies. Rosenheim, et al., Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 2013, online doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.03.020.

Announcements
Oil Spill Science Seminar: Five Years Later, What Have We Learned?
In this seminar, which is free and open to the public, scientists will present the latest fisheries-related research about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and dispersant application on Gulf of Mexico habitats, communities, and individual species.
The EPA is accepting comments on proposed amendments to its plan to strengthen the Nation's preparedness level and response to oil spills. Comments are due April 22, 2015.

Wrap up - Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Conference - Feb 17-19, 2015 
The 2015 conference was a success with 1005 registered, including 211 students. Attendees represented 35 states, the District of Columbia, and 22 countries. This group meets next in Tampa in 2016.

Project Activities
GoMRI Scholars Kristina Deak and Lindsey Dornberger at the University of South Florida received the James D. Watkins Award for Excellence in Research at the 2015 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference. Read more about their award here. 
 
GoMRI Scholar Cheng Li, undergrad Devin Conley, and Professor Joseph Katz at Johns Hopkins University presented their GoMRI-funded research at the 67th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics. See their video: Dispersion of an Oil Slick by Breaking Waves.
 
This five-day camp immerses high school students in Louisiana marsh research.  Participants will learn about technologies that are essential to field scientists. Application deadline is June 10, 2015.
 
The CARTHE team joined forces with the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation and Miami-Dade County Public Schools to help students and teachers in a science-inspired poetry writing competition. See their video: Science+Poetry.
 
Samantha Joye at the University of Georgia was a speaker and judge at the 2014 Blue Oceans Festival's Go Explore Marine Science (GEMS), a program that connects youth to marine scientists and careers. 
 
Gulf Oil Observers (GOO) students from Booker T. Washington Marine Science Academy conducted their 2015 oil patty beach sampling at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.