GoMRI eNews · Oct 31, 2017 · ← 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.

October 31, 2017                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Study Finds Low Oil Concentrations Impair Self-Preservation Behaviors in Coral Reef Fish Larvae

Grad Student Rohal Examines Tiny Organisms to Understand Deep-Sea Ecosystems

Study Characterizes Oil and Gas Bubbles Released from Natural Hydrocarbon Seeps

Grad Student Xue Uses Light to Characterize Oil Plume Fragmentation

From the Archives

Grad Student Fiore Investigates Oil Spill Impacts on Gulf Economy and Fisheries Resiliency

Posted on October 25, 2016
Natural and manmade disasters often involve long-term effects, but the majority of follow-up research tends to focus on the biophysical impacts rather than the social. Jacqueline Fiore, a Louisiana resident, understands how disasters such as hurricanes and oil spills can impact local industries, citizens, and ecosystems.

Study: Early-Responder Microbial Groups Differed Over Time in Oiled Beach Sands

Posted on October 22, 2015
Scientists analyzed microbial communities on beaches oiled by the Deepwater Horizon spill and found taxonomic and functional changes after hydrocarbon exposure.

Study Shows Drifter Data on Surface Currents Critical to Predict Pollutant Transport

Posted on October 28, 2014
Scientists measured the speed of small, short-lived Gulf surface currents using position data from nearly 300 drifters to determine surface current impact on the dispersion of ocean contaminants.

Publications

Study Uses Drifter Data to Construct Gulf of Mexico Surface Dynamics
Lagrangian dynamical geography of the Gulf of Mexico. P. Miron, F. J. Beron-Vera, M. J. Olascoaga, J. Sheinbaum, P. Pérez-Brunius, and G. Froyland. Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 7021 (2017)

Study Develops Biogeographic Classification of the World’s Deep Oceans
A global biogeographic classification of the mesopelagic zone. Sutton, T.T.; Clark, M.R.; Dunn, D.C.; Halpin, P.N.; Rogers, A.D.; Guinotte, J.; Bograd, S.J.; Angel, M.V.; Perez, J.A.A.; Wishner, K.; Haedrich, R.L.; Lindsay, D.J.; Drazen, J.C.; Vereshchaka, A.; Piatkowski, U.; Morato, T.; Blachowiak-Samolyk, K.; Robison, B.H.; Gjerde, K.M.; Pierrot-Bults, A.; Bernal, P.; Reygondeau, G.; Heino, M. Deep Sea Research Part 1:  Oceanographic Research Papers, Volume 126, August 2017, Pages 85-102

Data

Chemical composition of Water Accommodated Fraction (WAF) made through three different procedures -- data link

Dataset for: Parameterization of frontal symmetric instabilities. I: Theory for Resolved Fronts -- data link

Sediment Trap (raw data) - Green Canyon, Gulf of Mexico, 1260m, April 16, 2012 - September 4, 2012 -- data link

Video

RFP IV Update: Dispersion Research on Oil: Physics and Plankton Studies II - DROPPS II (Buskey)

RFP IV Update: Dispersion Research on Oil: Physics and Plankton Studies II - DROPPS II (Buskey) - The goal of DROPPS II is to investigate and model a series of processes affecting the fate of crude oil spills, including physical breakup and dispersion of oil patches, interactions of petroleum with marine organisms, biodegradation of oil, and the impact of aerosolized oil on public health.

Announcements

November 13 Sea Grant Oil Spill Response Seminar: Nearshore & Beach Habitats
This all-day free and public event will be in Mobile, Alabama. Discussions will include the unique response challenges to spills affecting beach and nearshore environments  A live, interactive webcast will be available for those who cannot attend in person. See agenda and register here. 

Project Activities

ACER Habitat Focus Series Highlights Coastal Oceans
The coastal ocean refers to the area of the ocean whose ecosystems are affected directly or indirectly by the ecological and environmental processes on the coast and upriver Gulf of Mexico watersheds. Learn more about this unique habitat here.
 
C-IMAGE Researchers Attend St. Petersburg Science Festival
The team recently hosted a booth at the Festival, where they taught visiting youth about seafloor sediment layers, oil spills, and other ocean science topics. See photos of the event here.
 
ECOGIG Launches Coral Video Series
The consortium recently released the first episode of a three-part series highlighting different aspects of deep-sea coral. The first installment explains what a deep-sea coral is, how it eats and draws nourishment, and why these creatures are a unique element of the deep-sea ecosystem.
 
CARTHE Podcast Documents 1000-Drifter Release
The recent Gulfcast episode follows the crew of the LASER expedition as they drop approximately 1,000 drifters into the Gulf of Mexico. The GPS-equipped drifters will relay their locations for three months to the researchers in Miami, where the team will use the data to improve ocean current models.