RFP III: Bridge Grants

A total of $1.5 million in grants were awarded to ensure continuity of observations and sampling while the peer-review process was underway for the GoMRI three-year RFP I proposals. These grants supported the time-sensitive acquisition of critical samples and observations associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico. The funding supported work from July 1 to November 30, 2011. Seventeen grants were awarded to thirteen institutions. For more information, read the GoMRI RFP III press release.

17 Projects

Application of Passive Samplers to Monitor PAHs Concentrations in Water, Sediment Porewater, Sediment, and Commercially Important Organisms in the Gulf of Mexico in Order to Quantify Site-Specific, Chronic Damages to the Natural Resources
Principal Investigator: Edward Bouwer -- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering
Member Institutions: Johns Hopkins University, Mote Marine Laboratory , National Aquarium, Texas Southern University, The University of Texas at Austin
Biodegradability of MC252 Oil-Sand Aggregates on Rapidly Eroding Coastal Beach Environments
Principal Investigator: John Pardue -- Louisiana State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Member Institutions: Louisiana State University, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Collection and Analysis of Oiled Sand Patties along the Gulf Coast
Principal Investigator: Christopher Reddy -- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Coastal Ocean Institute and Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry
Collection of Water Column Samples in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone and Areas Near the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Site
Principal Investigator: Wei-Jun Cai -- University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences
Member Institutions: Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, University of Georgia
Comprehensive Study of Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Health and Productivity of Gulf Coast Salt Marshes
Principal Investigator: Deepak Mishra -- Mississippi State University, Geosystems Research Institute
Continued Sampling of Blue Crab Larvae, Juveniles and Adults to Evaluate Oil Spill Effects on Population Connectivity and Adaptation, and Predict the Dynamics of Recovery
Principal Investigator: Joseph Neigel -- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology
Continued Sampling of Tabanid Populations as Indicators of Acute and Potentially Chronic Effects of Oil Spill Stress on Coastal Marsh Health
Principal Investigator: Lane Foil -- Louisiana State University Ag Center, Department of Entomology
Emergency Funds to Continue Monitoring DHOS Effects within a Heavily-Oiled Gulf of Mexico Salt Marsh- Barataria Bay, LA
Principal Investigator: Stephen Bullard -- Auburn University, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures
Member Institutions: Auburn University, Middle Tennessee State University, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Expanding Contaminated Sediment Sampling In Gulf Coast Beaches
Principal Investigator: Markus Huettel -- Florida State University, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science
Member Institutions: Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Floating Sargassum Communities of the Gulf of Mexico: Data Collection for the Continued Assessment of Associated Faunal Assemblages, Trophic Interations and Habitat Function in the Wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Principal Investigator: Frank Hernandez -- University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Coastal Sciences
Member Institutions: Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), University of Southern Mississippi
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center: Oil-Contaminated Sample Collection in Louisiana Coastal Areas: Toward an Optical Sensor for Quick Detection and Quantification
Principal Investigator: David Weindorf -- Louisiana State University, Aquaculture Research Station
Member Institutions: Louisiana State University, Louisiana State University Ag Center
Oil Spill Impacts on Food Webs of Barrier Islands: Critical Sampling of Florida Beaches
Principal Investigator: Susan Bell -- University of South Florida, Department of Integrative Biology
Sampling for Reproductive and Developmental Recovery in Fish from the Gulf of Mexico One Year after Exposure to BP Oil/Dispersants
Principal Investigator: James Carr -- Texas Tech University, Department of Biological Science
Member Institutions: Texas Tech University, Tulane University, University of New Orleans
Sampling of Megalopal and Larval Stages of Blue Crabs
Principal Investigator: Caroline Taylor -- Tulane University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Member Institutions: Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), EPA Gulf Breeze Laboratory, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Tulane University
Sampling of Oil and/or Dispersal-Related Contamination on Mississippi Marsh Ecosystem Functioning
Principal Investigator: Micheal Davis -- University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Biological Sciences
Stop-Gap Sampling to Assess the Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impact on Macroalgae and Macrocrustaceans in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Principal Investigator: Suzanne Fredericq -- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology
Texas Agrilife Research: Oil-Contaminated Sample Collection in Louisiana Coastal Areas: Toward an Optical Sensor for Quick Detection and Quantification
Principal Investigator: Yufeng Ge -- Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Texas AgriLife Research
Member Institutions: Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University-San Antonio