GoMRI eNews · Nov 14, 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.

November 14, 2017                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Modeling Study Analyzes Sperm Whale Recovery after Environmental Disturbances

Grad Student Shi Uses Chemical Fingerprinting to Investigate Oil in the Water Column

Study Describes How Marine Particle Aggregates Influence Oil Spill Fate

Colwell to Receive 2017 International Prize for Biology

From the Archives

Grad Student Pasparakis Looks to Fish Embryos for Long-Term Oil Spill Answers

Posted on November 8, 2016
Studies that investigate the effects of oil exposure on developing fish are typically conducted at otherwise non-stressful ambient conditions, which may result in conservative impact estimates. Christina Pasparakis is studying the combined effects of oil exposure and other environmental stressors to create a more comprehensive assessment of Deepwater Horizon impacts.

Study: Different Dispersant Surfactants Help and Hinder Oil-Degrading Bacteria

Posted on November 3, 2015
Scientists studied the interactions of the oil-degrading bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis with oil across oil-water interfaces that had varying amounts of different surfactants.

Study Identifies Efficient Food-Grade Emulsifier as Dispersant Alternative

Posted on November 7, 2014
Scientists from the University of Maryland and Tulane University investigated the possibility of using food-grade materials for oil spill remediation.

Publications

Study Estimates a Decade or More Recovery for Infauna at Oiled Louisiana Sites 
Recovery of saltmarsh meiofauna six years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Fleeger, J.W.; Riggio, M.R.; Mendelssohn, I.A.; Lin, Q.; Hou, A.; Deis, D.R. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 10 August 2017, ISSN 0022-0981

Study Develops and Tests New Formulation of Gas-Oil Interaction in Subsea Blowouts
Droplet and bubble formation of combined oil and gas releases in subsea blowouts. Zhao, L.; Boufadel, M.C.; King, T.; Robinson, B.; Gao, F.; Socolofsky, S.A.; Lee, K. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 120, Issues 1–2, 15 July 2017, Pages 203-216

Data

Cruise data for neuston net and paired bongo net tows from 47 stations in the northern Gulf of Mexico from R/V Pelican cruise LF2017A July 2017 -- data link

R/V Endeavor: EN600 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data, Gulf of Mexico, June 02-26, 2017 -- data link

In vivo cardiac function during swimming in juvenile cobia (Rachycentron canadum) following crude oil exposure -- data link

Video

RFP IV Update: Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf-2 - ECOGIG-2 (Joye)

RFP IV Update: Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf-2 - ECOGIG-2 (Joye) - The ECOGIG-2 (Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf - 2) Research Consortium conducts multi-scale, multidisciplinary research to study the impacts and fates of oil and gas released in offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Announcements

November 30 Deadline for Early-Bird Conference Registration
Register for the 2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science conference here. 

Project Activities

ACER Fact Sheet Highlights Microplankton Group
The microplankton research group examines how the planktonic community changes in the presence of petrochemicals and how those changes may affect their daily activity and their role in the food web.
 
CARTHE Reports First Drift Card Found
A drift card used in the program’s Bay Drift project was found in Virginia Key just half an hour after being released from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science dock. The Bay Drift Project is a citizen-science experiment that uses drift cards to help determine how materials travel through the Gulf of Mexico.
 
CRGC Director Emphasizes Resilience as Key to Post-Hurricane Recovery
Following the active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, Project Director Dr. Melissa Finucane discussed the ability of communities whose infrastructure is repeatedly threatened to withstand major storms. She suggests that a comprehensive, science-based analysis of a community’s resilience needs can help determine disaster-recovery priorities for long-term rebuilding efforts.
 
DEEPEND Masters Student Discusses Juvenile Gulf of Mexico Fish
Graduate student Sebastian Velez introduced his work studying juvenile snappers and groupers in a recent DEEPEND blog post. He focuses on what happens to these organisms when they drift off the continental shelf to areas with depths up to 1500 meters.
 
ECOGIG Video Highlights Coral Research
The second episode in the consortium’s three-part deep-sea coral series uses footage from the group’s Jewels of the Gulf expedition to show how scientists use remotely operated vehicles and high-resolution camera equipment to study deep-sea Gulf of Mexico ecosystems.  
 
Video: RECOVER Scientist Explains How Researchers Raise Mahi-Mahi
Dr. John Stieglitz discusses how scientists raise mahi-mahi in the University of Miami’s Experimental Fish Hatchery in an effort to better understand how the Deepwater Horizon incident affected them.