GoMRI eNews · May 26, 2020 · ← 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 26, 2020                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Grad Student Dandekar Examines How Ocean Layers Affect Microbial Motion Towards Oil

Grad Student Jacketti Enhances Modeling Capability to Track Sunken Oil

New Report! Deepwater Horizon Discoveries of How Microbes Mitigate Oil Spills

From the Archives

Grad Student Mullane Puts Oil-Degrading Microbes Under Enormous Pressure

Posted on May 16, 2019
There are currently over 30 active deep-sea drilling platforms and more than 600 areas where oil naturally seeps from the Gulf of Mexico seafloor.

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

Posted on May 17, 2018
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.

“Drifting in the Gulf” Video Depicts the Trials and Errors of Designing the Perfect Drifter

Posted on May 25, 2017
The Deepwater Horizon event highlighted the need for more economical and ecofriendly methods to accurately track and study ocean currents. Scientists with the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment II (CARTHE II) spent two years testing different structures and materials to develop a practical, cost-efficient, and biodegradable drifter design.

Publications

Study Explains Anisotropy and Inhomogeneity in Submesoscale Dispersion 
Anisotropy and inhomogeneity in drifter dispersion. Huntley, H.S.; Lipphardt Jr., B.L.; Kirwan Jr., A.D. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124, 8667– 8682

Study Shows Nano-Plastics May Prompt TEP from Phytoplankton Similar to Marine Oil Snow Process
Nano-plastics induce aquatic particulate organic matter (microgels) formation. Shiu, R.-F.; Vazquez, C.I.; Tsai, Y.-Y.; Torres, G.V.; Chen, C.-S.; Santschi, P.H.; Quigg, A.; Chin, W.-C. Science of The Total Environment Volume 706, 1 March 2020, 135681

Data

Analytical measurements: Time series of nutrients in MICROX, a mesocosm to quantify microbial oxidation and degradation of oil -- data link

Microaggregate Microbial Community Structure, Mesocosm Experiment, LTMOSE, a Long Term Marine Oil Snow Mesocosm Experiment, SSU rRNA sequences -- data link

Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) data to evaluate reproductive health among wild dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana from 2017-09-18 to 2017-09-21 -- data link

Announcements

Call for Papers: Predicting Hydrocarbon Fate in the Ocean
Editors invite papers that explore the fate of hydrocarbons in the ocean using multi-component numerical models, especially studies that explore the relationship between two or more processes, including microbial ecology, sediment transport, oil/gas plumes, and physical mixing and transport processes. They also welcome papers on related experimental aspects of these topics, i.e. that can contribute to modeling parameterization, calibration, and verification. Read more here.      

Project Activities

 
C-IMAGE PI Appears on Sirius XM Radio Show Top of Mind
On the episode, Dr. Steve Murawski to discuss the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s continuing effects on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem ten years after the event. Listen to the interview here!
 
Blog: CARMMHA PI Discusses Long-Term Deepwater Horizon Impacts to Whales and Dolphins
In a recent blog post, consortium principal investigator Dr. Lori Schwacke explains the importance of documenting the long-term effects of spills like Deepwater Horizon on marine mammal populations and what her team has uncovered. Read the full entry here.