GoMRI eNews · Aug 20, 2019 · ← 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.

August 20, 2019                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Study Tests STARRS Imaging of Short-Lived Small-Scale Dispersion on Ocean’s Surface

Researchers described field methods and observations using the Ship-Tethered Aerostat Remote Sensing System (STARSS) to better understand how buoyant material moves and disperses on the ocean’s surface.

How Grad Student Lu Uses Statistics to Monitor Reef Fish Populations

Authorities closed large portions of the Gulf of Mexico following Deepwater Horizon to minimize oil contamination of fish and seafood products.

Study Provides New Way of Looking at Energy Exchange at the Air-Sea Boundary Layer

Scientists assessed the dynamics of heat and momentum exchange between the ocean and atmosphere to better understand how these factors influence Gulf of Mexico circulation.

Grad Student Pruzinsky Uses Morphological Patterns to ID Young Tuna for Population Assessments

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill overlapped with the spawning activities of many ecologically and economically important tuna species.

From the Archives

Study Analyzes How Environmental Disturbances Affect Whale Recovery

Posted on August 14, 2018
Researchers modified a matrix population model to include the impact of a disturbance and study the recovery process for large marine mammal populations. They applied the model to identify key components in the recovery process for Gulf of Mexico sperm whales following a disturbance such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Grad Student Johnson Uses Amino Acids to Demystify Salt Marsh Food Webs

Posted on August 17, 2017
Salt marshes support commercially and culturally important species and are often subject to natural and human-caused stressors. Gaps in our knowledge of salt marsh food webs made management and restoration decisions difficult after the Deepwater Horizon spill. Jessica Johnson helps fill this gap.

Grad Student Boyette Maps Plankton to Better Understand the Nearshore Environment

Posted on August 17, 2016
Microscopic organisms called plankton, an important component of the marine food web, congregate in the freshwater-laden coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Adam Boyette wants to learn more about how and where these plankton live to better understand how an oil spill or other disaster might impact their populations.

Publications
Study Rules Out Mitochondrial Dysfunction for Heart and Muscle Problems in Oil-Exposed Fish
Oil-induced responses of cardiac and red muscle mitochondria in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus).Johansen, J.L.; Esbaugh, A.J. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, Volume 219, May 2019, Pages 35-41

Study Advances Development of a Realistic Model for Sinking Marine Aggregate Forecasts 
Incorporation of oil into diatom aggregates. Passow, U.; Sweet, J.; Francis, S.; Xu, C.; Dissanayake, A.; Lin, Y.; Santschi, P.; Quigg, A. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2019, 612:65-86.

Data
Quantifying denitrifier functional marker gene abundance from sediments associated with genotypically diverse plant types: A mesocosms study in April and September 2016 -- data link

Polynomial chaos analysis of hurricane wind parameters in the Gulf of Mexico from 2008-08-28 to 2008-08-31 -- data link

Biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) equivalents for 92 species of fish collected aboard multiple research and fishing vessels in the Gulf of Mexico from 2011-08-16 to 2018-08-22 -- data link

Announcements
Abstract Submission Open for the 2020 GoMOSES conference 
The 2020 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Conference is soliciting abstracts that share latest research findings and support interdisciplinary dialogue about research implications, applications, and synthesis. Priority will be given to abstracts that promote fundamental Gulf of Mexico ecosystem science and link scientific results to ecosystem resilience, oil spill response, or restoration and management. Abstract submission ends September 30, 2019. Click here for more information on abstract submission. You do not need to be registered to submit an abstract.

Project Activities
CARMMHA Reports Good News for Disentangled Dolphin
A dolphin that researchers freed from fishing gear during a routine capture-and-release health assessment in 2017 was recently seen with a healthy calf. The team is excited that she continues to be a productive member of the Barataria Bay dolphin population.
 
ECOGIG’s Zack and Molly Video Series Screened at Georgia Museum of Art
A short Q&A session led by Dr. Samantha Joye took place after the screening (sponsored by the University of Georgia Parents Leadership Council). The event was well-attended by the general public and included fun gallery activities and an ocean-inspired art project.
 
LADC-GEMM Researchers Receive Modelling Award
Drs. Azmy Ackleh, Ross Chiquet, and Amy Veprauskas recently received the Resource Modeling Association’s Rollie Lamberson Research Award for their mathematical model that estimates the rate at which a wildlife population recovers from a disaster or other environmental disturbance. To learn more, read the original paper or this helpful summary of their research.