GoMRI eNews · Dec 15, 2015 · ← 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.

December 15, 2015                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Latest Edition of GoMRI Newsletter Now Available – Fall Issue 2015

We are pleased to share the fall 2015 issue of the GoMRI newsletter. We hope you continue to find it a useful way to keep up with the GoMRI research community’s activities.

Study Suggests Coastal Marine Animals Assimilated Carbon from Deepwater Horizon

Scientists measured radiocarbon levels in coastal invertebrates and fishes (such as oysters and catfish) to evaluate impacts from the 2010 oil spill on Gulf of Mexico food webs.

Grad Student Chancellor Estimates Deepwater Horizon Impacts on Larval Fish

Emily Chancellor is applying her engineering and computer science background to a field that inspires her – marine science – focusing on how the oil spill may have impacted larval fish populations.

Study: Nitrogen Enhances Microbial Oil Degradation

Scientists from Brown University and the University of Rhode Island investigated how Alcanivorax borkumensis, a dominate bacterium in marine environments that contain high hydrocarbon levels, can be supported to naturally degrade oil.

From the Archives

Grad Student Chen Knows Ants Are More Than Just Bugs – They’re Oil Detectors!

Posted on December 3, 2014
Can watching ants really contribute to understanding an oil spill? Yes, it can! Ants have acted as indicators of environmental change in the past.

Studies Show Carbon Black Particles as an Alternative or Supplement for Oil Dispersants

Posted on December 9, 2013
Scientists with the University of Rhode Island, Tulane University, and the Cabot Corporation conducted tests using Carbon Black (CB) particles for more effective, safe, and low-cost oil spill remediation as compared to traditional dispersants.

Study Finds Carbon from Deepwater Horizon Entered Food Web

Posted on December 12, 2012
Scientists studying the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the food web published their recent findings.

Publications
Study Documents Specialized Microbial Sub-Populations that Responded to Oil Spill
Diverse, rare microbial taxa responded to the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea hydrocarbon plume. Kleindienst, S.; Grim, S.; Sogin, M.; Bracco, A.; Crespo-Medina, M.; Joye, S.B. The ISME Journal, 31 July 2015, doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.121
 
Study Shows Reduced Phytoplankton Abundance and Composition Shift After Oil Spill 
Phytoplankton and the Macondo oil spill: A comparison of the 2010 phytoplankton assemblage to baseline conditions on the Louisiana shelf. Parsons, M.L.; Morrison, W.; Rabalais, N.N.; Turner, R.E.; Tyre, K.N. Environmental Pollution, 207, 2015, 152-160

Announcements
Updates 2016 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference
  • The room block (Jan 31 to Feb 5) and special rate ($214/night) at the Marriott Tampa Waterside Hotel are available until Dec 31, book rooms here. Contact the hotel directly if you need to stay additional days.
 
Join the online webinar to learn about dispersants - from toxicity testing and the development of novel dispersants, to legal and policy considerations. The US Coast Guard NOLA Area Committee is hosting this event. Visit the link for the agenda, which includes log-in instructions. Register here.

Project Activities
ADDOMEx Time-Lapse Clip Documents “Fast Pace” of Research
The short clip depicts the frenzy that can take place as researchers work together to take samples at a single time point.
 
CARTHE Provides Support for Fuel Spill Exercise
Researchers tracked a mock oil spill using drifters during an environmental safety exercise that involved over 35 federal, state, and local agencies and organizations. The mock spill event was designed to improve communication and response planning and execution in the event of a spill.
 
FishSens Magazine Features C-IMAGE Research
The online article describes the consortium’s research into red drum, flounder, and pompano fish’s sensitivity to oil exposure. The three species live in very different Gulf habitats, offering insights that will be applicable to many other species.
 
CONCORDE Highlights Gliders Used in Research
The post describes a type of unmanned autonomous underwater vehicle called a Slocum Glider. These gliders communicate data via satellite to help oceanographers to study ocean patterns and processes.
 
Scientists Demonstrate Deep-C Research to High School Students
Drs. Eric Chassignet and Oscar Garcia-Pineda recently visited West Florida High School of Advanced Technology to show how the consortium uses technology for its ocean and atmospheric research.
 
DEEPEND Research Showcased at Fish at Night Symposium
The first International First at Night Symposium featured the group’s pelagic, reproductive, and diversity research in the session Deep and Polar Sea (“Perpetual Night”) Fish and Fisheries. The full program is available here.
 
ECOGIG Scientist Attends Congressional Briefing
Dr. Samantha Joye recently attended the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers’ annual symposium to brief congress on the Gulf of Mexico’s resilience to extreme events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
 
RECOVER Takes a Stab at Fish Tattooing
The consortium is raising fish in captivity to monitor the immediate and lingering effects of oil on fish physiology and behavior. One of the ways they track individuals is by implanting them with a red-orange dye that is visible to humans but invisible to fish.