GoMRI eNews · Aug 7, 2018 · ← All issues
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Keeping you current on emerging Gulf science and the people investigating the effects of oil spills on the environment and public health.

August 7, 2018                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

GoMRI Mourns the Passing of Kenneth E. Barbor

It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Rear Admiral Kenneth “Ken” Eicher Barbor passed away on Sunday, July 22, 2018, after battling cancer. Barbor served as Commander of Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command and was the Director of the International Hydrographic Bureau in Monaco. Barbor was also the founding Director of the Hydrographic Science Research Center at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

Study Finds “Business as Usual” for Hypoxic Zone Following Deepwater Horizon

Researchers compared long-term data from low-oxygen (hypoxia) studies to determine if the Deepwater Horizon incident affected the Gulf of Mexico seasonal hypoxic area.

Smithsonian Highlights How Scientists Study Fish Hearts’ Response to Oil

The Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal published an article that gives readers a fascinating look at how scientists monitor the heartbeat, blood flow, and blood pressure of mahi-mahi before and after oil exposure.

Study Finds Environmental Factors Influence the Selection of Oil-Degrading Microbes

Researchers conducted incubation experiments and examined the roles of temperature, nutrients, and initial bacterial community on oil biodegradation. Higher and lower temperatures yielded distinctly different bacterial community compositions, indicating that temperature is a key influencer of bacteria that respond when oil is present.

From the Archives

Study Analyzes Metabolic Pathways of Oil-Degrading Bacteria

Posted on August 1, 2017
Researchers analyzed bacterial communities exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil and identified taxa and genes associated with oil degradation and assimilation. The scientists found that Marinobacter and Alcanivorax dominated alkane-degrading communities, while Alteromonadales, Oceanospirillales, and Rhodospirillales dominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading communities.

Study Compares Natural Sunlight Effects on Macondo and Surrogate Oil

Posted on July 27, 2016
Scientists developed the first molecular-level comparison of photochemical effects on surrogate and Macondo (MC252) oil to better understand this weathering process and the toxicity mechanisms it produces.

Study Reviews Forecast System Used During Deepwater Horizon

Posted on July 30, 2015
A team of university, NOAA, Naval Research Lab (NRL), and Naval Oceanographic Office researchers reviewed four evaluations of the ocean forecast system American Seas (AMSEAS) which was used during the 2010 spill to simulate oil trajectory.

Publications
Study Shows How Modeling of Multisensor Satellite Imagery Tracked an East China Oil Spill
Tracking an oil tanker collision and spilled oils in the East China Sea using multisensor day and night satellite imagery. Sun, S.; Lu, Y.; Liu, Y.; Wang, M.; Hu, C. Geophysical Research Letters: Volume 45, Issue 7, 16 April 2018, Pages 3212-3220

Study Quantifies Recovery Rate of Oil-Impacted Deep‐Sea Corals
Projecting the recovery of a long-lived deep-sea coral species after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using state-structured models. Girard, F.; Shea, K.; Fisher, C. Journal of Applied Ecology:  Volume 55, Issue 4, July 2018, Pages 1812-1822

Data
Fungal amplicon sequencing of Spartina alterniflora endosymbionts and rhizosphere collected from Barataria Bay and Fourchon, September 2016 -- data link

Mixing Array CTD Line Mooring, Mississippi Bight, Fall 2015 -- data link

Dataset for: Accumulation and Subduction of Buoyant Material at Submesoscale Fronts -- data link

Announcements
 
August 29 - Seminar on Technology Used for Oil Spill Studies
The Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team is hosting a free seminar "Technology Used to Study Oil Spills, Part 2"  that includes drone and drifter technology. The seminar will be held on August 29 in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Register here to attend in person or online. Information to attend the webinar is available here. See the agenda here.

2019 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference Upcoming Dates
Abstract submissions and conference registration will start in mid-August.

2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference Archives Available
The conference report is available here, oil presentations abstracts are available here, and poster abstracts are available here.

Project Activities
CARTHE Outreach Participates in National Marine Educators Association Conference
Outreach manager Laura Bracken attended the conference to share the consortium’s research and educational programs, present on collaborations between scientists and teachers, and gain valuable information from other educators. Photos of her involvement available here.
 
July Issue of CWC Young Scientists Newsletter Available
The July 2018 issue of “Notes from the Field” examines indicator species with a focus on salt marsh and coastal indicators and includes fun facts and activities.