GoMRI eNews · Jan 12, 2016 · ← All issues
Happy New Year. Wishing everyone the best in the year ahead!

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

January 12, 2016                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Rita Colwell to Receive the NCSE Lifetime Achievement Award

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative congratulates Dr. Rita Colwell as the 2016 National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Study Identifies Molecular Fingerprints for Tracking Oil and Dispersant Fate

An international science team examined the effects of dispersant on the activity and composition of oil-degrading marine microorganisms.The researchers found that the biodegraded oil-derived compounds exhibited a specific molecular composition that distinguished them from naturally occurring dissolved organic matter.

How Scientists are Monitoring the Harmful Algal Bloom

It’s a catchy name, but the common phrase “Red Tide” for the algal bloom happening right now in the northern Gulf of Mexico is not quite right, scientifically. The bloom is not always red and it’s not always related to tides.

From the Archives

Study Shows Extended Footprint of Oil Spill Impact on Corals

Posted on December 11, 2014
Scientists widened their study scope of deep-sea coral communities after finding oil-impacted coral near the Deepwater Horizon site.

Study Reveals Recovery and Loss in Oiled Louisiana Marshes

Posted on December 16, 2013
Scientists from the University of Florida surveyed the vegetation at oiled and non-oiled Louisiana marsh sites to assess impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Modeling Study Suggests Dispersants Used at Wellhead had Marginal Effect on Oil Reaching Surface Waters

Posted on January 3, 2013
Scientists studying the use of sub-sea chemical dispersants during the Deepwater Horizon spill published their recent findings.

Publications
Study Identifies How Natural, Chemical and Mechanical Dispersion Could be Quantified in Models
The NET effect of dispersants -- a critical review of testing and modelling of surface oil dispersion. Zeinstra-Helfrich, M.; Koops, W.; Murk, A.J. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 100, 2015, 102–111
 
Study Models Oil Biodegradation in Coastal Beaches
Biodegradation of subsurface oil in a tidally influenced sand beach: Impact of hydraulics and interaction with pore water chemistry. Geng, X.; Boufadel, M.C.; Lee, K.; Abrams, S.; Suidan, M. Water Resources Research, 51, 2015,
3193–3218

Announcements
 
  • The conference Online Program and Planner are now available. Search through over 500 abstracts and plan the presentations you want to attend.
  • The conference Mobile App is now available.  The app and online planner are synced so you can manage your activities on your smartphone or tablet.
 
Check out positions for a database manager with GRIIDC at Texas A&M, Corpus Christi and a Graduate Research Assistantship in Chemical and Molecular Toxicology at Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans.
 
The 22 recently-awarded projects for 2016-2018 each have their own page with project description and lists of affiliated people and institutions.
 

Project Activities
CARTHE in the Classroom Issues Drifter Design Challenge
Students from fourteen middle and high schools have been hard at work designing and testing drifters. Researchers will bring the best model from each school on the upcoming Lagrangian Submesoscale Experiment (LASER). Keep up with CARTHE’s classroom LASER activities in this photo album and check out one of the student-made drifters in this video!
 
C-IMAGE Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science recently distinguished Steve Murawski, Kendra Daly, and Jacqueline Dixon as AAAS fellows for their contributions to innovation, education, and scientific leadership. Congratulations!
 
CONCORDE Campaign Sees Creatures Great and Small
The consortium recently released media documenting encounters with wildlife during their Fall Research Campaign, such as a pod of dolphins swimming alongside a research vessel and this mantis shrimp captured by Dr. Frank Hernandez's plankton lab.
 
Get to Know CWC’s Hillary Sullivan
Sullivan is a research assistant in a biogeochemistry lab and is researching how the oil spill has affected salt marsh nutrient cycling. Check out her Scientist Spotlight to learn about her findings, her favorite things about research, and what inspired her to become a scientist.
 
Deep-C Presents Curriculum at FCR-STEM Conference
Consortium members attended the Florida Center for Research-STEM Conference to share their Gulf of Mexico curriculum with teachers seeking to introduce students to real-world scientific applications and the impacts of environmental disasters.
 
DEEPEND Data Management Showcased at OceanTeacher
Dr. Matthew Johnston recently presented a lecture on DEEPEND data management and visualization as part of a training course at the OceanTeacher Global Academy, a web-based training system targeting ocean data managers, marine information managers, and marine researchers who want to learn more about data and/or information management.
 
ECOGIG Launches Film Fridays Series
Visitors to the consortium’s social media pages can now enjoy a different short film with an ocean or environmental theme each Friday. Head to the ECOGIG Facebook page to check out this week’s film!