GoMRI eNews · Dec 12, 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.

December 12, 2017                                                                    GoMRI eNews

Stories

Study Uses Radioisotopes to Trace Marine Oil Snow Associated with Deepwater Horizon

Researchers used naturally occurring radioisotopes to quantify the footprint of sedimented marine oil snow on the Gulf of Mexico seafloor following the Deepwater Horizon incident.

Sea Grant Releases Fact Sheet on Beach, Water, and Seafood Safety after Oil Spill

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to announce a new Sea Grant publication that addresses the public’s questions about health safety after the Deepwater Horizon incident. The fact sheet, Is it Safe? Examining Health Risks from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill succinctly explains findings from peer-reviewed studies and reports from state and federal agencies that investigated the safety of the beach, water, and seafood since the spill.

Smithsonian Highlights Research Showing How Fish Get Risky Around Oil

The Smithsonian recently published an article that included research, funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), that investigated the behavior of fish larvae around oil. The referenced study is of particular interest because the amount of oil used in exposure experiments were at levels recorded in industrialized sections of tropical coral reefs worldwide.

From the Archives

How Grad Student Seubert Interprets Gulf of Mexico Resiliency Using Predator Diet

Posted on December 8, 2016
Major environmental disturbances such as oil spills can alter a marine ecosystem’s structure and even cause species losses or additions in impacted areas – changes which may have long-term consequences for an ecosystem’s functions.

Study: Nitrogen Enhances Microbial Oil Degradation

Posted on December 1, 2015
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.

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.

Publications
Study Examines Role of Mississippi–Atchafalaya River System in Driving Submesoscale Currents: Winter and Summer
Submesoscale Dynamics in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Part I: Regional and Seasonal Characterization and the Role of River Outflow. Barkan, R.; McWilliams, J.C.; Shchepetkin, A.F.; Molemaker, M.J.; Renault, L.; Bracco, A.; Choi, J. Journal of Physical Oceanography, Volume 47 No. 9, September 2017, 2325–2346

Study Examines Role of Mississippi–Atchafalaya River System in Driving Submesoscale Currents: Temperature and Salinity 
Submesoscale Dynamics in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Part II: Temperature-Salinity Relations and Cross-Shelf Transport Processes. Barkan, R.; McWilliams, J.C.; Molemaker, M.J.; Choi, J.; Srinivasan, K.; Shchepetkin, A.F.; Bracco, A. Journal of Physical Oceanography, Volume 47 No. 9, September 2017, 2347–2360

Data
Combined effects of oil exposure, temperature and UV-radiation on buoyancy and oxygen consumption of embryonic mahi-mahi, Coryphaena hippurus -- data link

Complete bacterial symbiont genome sequences from anglerfish Cryptopsaras couesii and Melanocetus johnsonii -- data link

Ramped Pyrolysis - Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry of weathered Deepwater Horizon oil, Grand Isle and Barataria Bay, Louisiana, 2010-2012 -- data link

Video
RFP IV Update: Effects of Cardiac Outcomes in Fish for Validation of Ecological Risk (Grosell)

RFP IV Update: Effects of Cardiac Outcomes in Fish for Validation of Ecological Risk (Grosell) - RECOVER is an integration of studies at the molecular, cellular, organ level and whole animal physiology as well as behavioral studies at different life stages for two important Gulf of Mexico predatory fishes, the coastal redfish and the pelagic mahi-mahi.

Announcements
Sea Grant Seminar January 2, 2018: Responding to oil spills: Offshore and deep sea habitats
This event brings scientists, emergency responders, and others together to discuss offshore and deep sea spill response. The location is the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex in Lacombe, Louisiana. Attend in-person or online. Register here.  View the flyer here. 

Sea Grant Seminar February 5, 2018: Sharing science effectively: Know your audience and speak their language
This free workshop will provide scientists with techniques for communicating research and results to various audiences. Although held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, LA where the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference will be, attendees do not need to register for the larger conference to join our workshop. Register here.  View the flyer here.

Project Activities
CARTHE Participates in Art and Science Event
Consortium members attended the Changing Waters event in Miami, an art-science event that included a scientific panel and musical and theatrical performances aimed at addressing and discussing potential solutions to environmental issues such as oil spills and climate change.

C-IMAGE Receives USF Global Engagement Award
The Achievement Award for Global Engagement, presented by USF World, recognizes high-impact research and activities that advance student success and the University of South Florida’s global reputation. C-IMAGE was among the Award’s 2017 recipients for its use of cutting-edge technologies to solve problems and impact the future ecology of coastal waters.

CRGC GoMRI Student Webinar Explores the Graduate School Process
Consortium graduate students Jacqueline Fiore and Vanessa Parks recently discussed their graduate school experiences and working on a transdisciplinary research team in a recent webinar for the Student Spotlight Series. Watch the webinar here.

CWC Grad Student Wins Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition Grand Prize
Ph.D. student Yu Mo was recently awarded a Grand Prize in the 2017 Competition for her data presentation of changes in the phenology and area of coastal marshes in Louisiana from 1984 to 2014. The contest highlights undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate innovation and creativity in presenting data in a new way.

DEEPEND Highlighted on Oregon Coast Aquarium Oceanscape Network
The week-long series (December 4 – 8) featured consortium scientists as they continue their long-term investigation into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s impacts to the deep sea. Watch the episodes here.

Teachers Participate in ECOGIG Research Expedition
Two Georgia middle school teachers recently joined a consortium research cruise through the AMP-IT-UP (Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping Integrated to Unlock Potential) program, a multi-year grant focused on cultivating the next generation of STEM innovators.  Learn more about the program and the educators’ experiences here.

RECOVER PI to Present Sea Secrets Lecture
Dr. Martin Grosell will join the lineup of science speakers for the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Sea Secrets Lecture Series. His lecture “In the Wake of an Environmental Disaster – Is There a Silver Lining?” will take place on January 23, 2018, at 7 pm at the Rosenstiel School auditorium following a brief reception. Seating is limited – RSVP here.