GoMRI eNews · May 29, 2018 · ← All issues
Welcome to the GoMRI eNews.

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

May 29, 2018                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Study Gives Post-Oil Spill Baseline for Particle Fluxes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Researchers assessed several years of sediment trap collections near the Deepwater Horizon site, an active natural seep site, and a reference site to understand transport pathways and drivers of sinking particles in deepwater environments (1400 m depth).

Study Finds Oil, UV Radiation, and Temperature Affect Mahi Survival Processes

Researchers conducted exposure experiments with mahi-mahi embryos using oil, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and temperature to determine how multiple stressors affect their survival. Compared to controls, exposed embryos floating near the ocean’s surface started to sink sooner and at faster rates, which intensified at higher temperatures.

Sea Grant Releases Publication on Microbes and Oil Degradation

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to announce a new Sea Grant publication that explains the role that microbes play in using oil as an energy source and removing it from the environment.

Study Finds Small Scale Ocean Currents Cause Clustering of Floating Material

Researchers analyzed how satellite-tracked ocean surface drifters moved in the Gulf of Mexico to learn how other floating materials (oil, plastics, marine organisms) move.

From the Archives

Study Expands Analytical Window for Marine and Oil Spill Chemistry

Posted on May 23, 2017
Scientists tested a new analytical method for a fast and comprehensive characterization of organic compounds in marine sediments. The Rapid Analyte Detection and Reconnaissance (RADAR) method couples atmospheric pressure photoionization in positive ion mode (APPI-P) with Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS).

Grad Student Tang Studies Whale Populations’ Oil Spill Recovery

Posted on May 23, 2016
When disaster strikes, responders look at how creatures in its path may be impacted to mitigate damage. Tingting Tang takes the process one step further, using mathematical models to predict how long recovery may take. The creatures that Tingting focuses on are some of the Gulf of Mexico’s largest predators and most charismatic animals, beaked and sperm whales.

Study Reveals Oil Spill Changed Oxygen Conditions in Gulf Sediment

Posted on May 26, 2015
A team of scientists from Eckerd College and University of South Florida conducted a time-series sediment study to better understand impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Publications
Study Uses Wave Tank Experiments to Learn How Dispersants Affect Oil Slick Breakup by Waves
Size distribution and dispersion of droplets generated by impingement of breaking waves on oil slicks. Li, C.; Miller, J.; Wang, J.; Koley, S.S.; Katz, J. Journal of Geophysical Research, Oceans:  Volume122, Issue10, October 2017, Pages 7938-7957

Study Shows High Pressure Decreases Oil Droplet Density, Increases Droplet Diameter, and Accelerates Droplet Assent
Rise velocity of live-oil droplets in deep-sea oil spills. Pesch, S.; Jaeger, P.; Jaggi, A.; Malone, K.; Hoffmann, M.; Krause, D.; Oldenburg, T.B.P.; Schluter, M. Environmental Engineering Science, Volume 35, Issue 4, Apr 2018

Data
Individual Measurements from trawl surveys of fish and invertebrates in Coastal Alabama, Mississippi, and the Chandeleur Islands, March - December, 2016 -- data link

Response of the planktonic and microbial community to an oil spill in Galveston Bay, Texas, March 2014 -- data link

Water column data from the northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone collected in August 2016 -- data link

Announcements
June 11-15 GOMA All Hands Meeting St. Petersburg, FL
Click on these links for specific information:  registration, schedule, and team agendas. 

Sea Grant Releases New Publication on Helping Oiled Wildlife Recover
The oil spill outreach team - in response to requests from resource managers, emergency responders, and coastal residents - has prepared a fact sheet with phone numbers and helpful tips for what to do when you come upon a wild oiled animal. 

Sea Grant Seminar Presentation Videos Available - Break Glass In Case of Emergency
This seminar, originally held for extension professionals, took place at the March Mid-Atlantic Sea Grant regional meeting.  The talks focused on what to expect after an oil spill, explaining key players and what steps typically take place as part of a response.

Project Activities
CARTHE Short Film Wins 2018 Ocean 180 Video Challenge
The short film “Drifting into the Gulf,” co-created by Waterlust, was awarded first place by 21,000 students in over 900 classrooms around the world. The film chronicles the design process for the drifters CARTHE currently uses to track ocean currents.
 
C-IMAGE Celebrates Teacher @ Sea Program
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the consortium highlighted the efforts of Gulf Coast teachers who have accompanied Mud & Blood expeditions, gaining hands-on experience dissecting fish and processing sediment cores. Learn more about the Teacher @ Sea program here.
 
DEEPEND Holds First Synthesis Workshop
The workshop took place at Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach, Florida, on May 14 – 15 and was attended by fifty consortia members, students, and affiliated scientists. Review the workshop agenda here.
 
RECOVER Releases Second Installment of “Mini Mahi Tags” Video Series
The second episode “Tunnels and Tags” chronicles the first part of the experiment using the scaled-down tags and assesses the metabolic cost (the cost of doing and maintaining activity) of PSAT tags on Mahi raised at the University of Miami Experimental Hatchery. Watch the video here!