GoMRI eNews · Sep 18, 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.

September 18, 2018                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

AGU Honors Christopher Reddy with 2018 Ambassador Award

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative congratulates Dr. Christopher “Chris” Reddy for being honored with the 2018 American Geophysical Union’s Ambassador Award.

Study Documents How Riverine Fronts Influence Oil Transport Pathways

Scientists used drifters, drones, satellite imagery, and air/water measurements to investigate how local and regional ocean processes in the Gulf of Mexico influence where surface oil from the leaking Taylor Energy Site travels.

Grad Student Karthikeyan Uses Genetics to Understand Microbial Oil Degradation in Beach Sands

Petroleum hydrocarbons released by oil spills can accumulate on beaches and in nearshore sediments, potentially creating health risks for humans and coastal organisms. However, the highly variable conditions of beach environments make it difficult to determine the long-term behavior and fate of hydrocarbons in sands and sediment.

Study Finds Sunlight Reduced Dispersant’s Effectiveness During Deepwater Horizon

Scientists conducted light-exposure experiments using Macondo oil and Corexit dispersant and ran model simulations to investigate how photo-chemical weathering (oxidation) affects dispersant effectiveness in oil spill response.

From the Archives

Grad Student Wang Quantifies Ocean Model Uncertainty to Improve Prediction Accuracy

Posted on September 12, 2017
Researchers use numerical models to simulate oil spill scenarios and predict where oil will go, but the many factors that affect the oil’s path creates uncertainty in the predictions. Shitao Wang quantifies the uncertainty of ocean models to gauge the reliability of oil fate predictions.

Grad Student Max Weber Fishes for Insight into Deep-Pelagic Fish Taxonomy

Posted on September 13, 2016
There are hundreds of deep-pelagic fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, but we know very little about their taxonomy, diversity, and population sizes. Max Weber plans to catch fifteen individual specimens of each of the 500 known deep-sea Gulf fish species to help us better understand these organisms and how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have impacted them and environment.

Young Scientist Visualizes Risk to Whales in an Oil Spill Scenario

Posted on September 10, 2015
Fueled by a passion for science and endangered species, Alek designed and executed a research project that involved scientists from eight institutions, four-hundred drift cards, and over a year’s work. A substantial undertaking for any scientist, this is even more impressive because Alek is seven years old.

Publications
Study Presents Evidence Connecting Oil Spills and Red Tides
Oil spills and dispersants can cause the initiation of potentially harmful dinoflagellate blooms ("red tides"). Almeda, R.; Cosgrove, S.; Buskey, E.J. Environmental Science and Technology, 2018, 52 (10), pp 5718–5724

Study Reveals Slow-Evolving Lagrangian Coherent Structures Affect Ocean Surface Transport 
Extracting quasi-steady Lagrangian transport patterns from the ocean circulation: An application to the Gulf of Mexico. Duran, R.; Beron-Vera, F.J.; Olascoaga, M.J. Scientific Reports, volume 8, Article number: 5218 (2018) 

Data
Length, weight and age of juvenile Grey Triggerfish collected from R/V Alabama Discovery cruise AL-11-08-Sarg-06 on 2011-08-18 and R/V E.O. Wilson cruise WI-11-09-Sarg-10 on 2011-09-23 in the Gulf of Mexico -- data link

Microcosm: CLSM micrographs of generation of exopolymeric substances (EPS) by phytoplankton and bacteria with and without polysaccharide inhibitor at various concentrations of WAF -- data link

Microcosm: SEM micrographs of generation of exopolymeric substances (EPS) by phytoplankton and bacteria with and without polysaccharide inhibitor at various concentrations of WAF -- data link

Announcements

Latest News for 2019 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference
  • Call For Abstracts. The call for abstracts will close on Sept 24, 2018. Priority will be given to abstracts that promote fundamental Gulf ecosystem science and link scientific results to resilience, response, restoration, and management. You do not need to be registered for the conference to submit an abstract. Click here for abstract submission information.
  • Registration Cost Changes. Options now include a one-day workshop fee for those only attending a workshop ($75). The full registration fee covers all workshops and conference activities ($500 for early registration on or before Nov 30, 2018; $250 for students). Register for the conference here. 
  • Registration Discounts. Attendees who stay at the Hyatt Regency (the conference venue) will receive a $100 discount on registration ($50 discount for students). When registering for the conference, you need to enter your hotel confirmation number to receive the discount. Make a reservation at the Hyatt Regency here. Reservations must be made at the Hyatt Regency to qualify for the discount. Although Hyatt House is connected to the Hyatt Regency, the parent company treats them as separate businesses and reservations made at Hyatt House are not included in the conference room block. 

Project Activities
ACER’s Oyster Reef Subgroup Featured on GulfCast Podcast
The episode hosts Dr. Scott Rikard of the Auburn University Shellfish Laboratory as he discusses how the group cultivates diverse oysters for research.
 
CARMMHA Blog Provides In-Depth Look at Dolphin Health Assessments
The third field update for the consortium’s work in Barataria Bay discusses how the team’s researchers and veterinarians collect blood samples, perform cardiac assessments, and examine the important internal and reproductive organs of captured dolphins.
 
C-IMAGE Releases Photo Gallery of 2018 OneGulf Expedition
The Flickr gallery contains over 280 images from the August 2018 longline fishing expedition, which aimed to examine Gulf of Mexico fishes and their vertical migration patterns.
 
RECOVER Video Explains How Researchers Catch Wild Mahi
In the short clip, consortium Principal Investigator Dr. Martin Grosell discusses their fishing tactics and reviews some of the factors that he and his team take into account when catching broodstock mahi.