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Published Science Highlights
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News Archive
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Study Details Underwater Oil Plume Formation and Droplet Size Distribution
Posted on August 10, 2016Scientists simulated an underwater blowout to analyze the formation, path, and duration of oil plumes. They noted that the simulated blowout formed two plumes, one due to momentum and plume buoyancy and another due to the buoyancy of individual oil droplets separating from the first plume. -
Bringing Marine Snow to the Oil Transport Forecast
Posted on August 4, 2016Evidence suggests that when oil interacts with particles in the marine environment, it can form larger, rapidly sinking particles called marine snow. -
Study Compares Natural Sunlight Effects on Macondo and Surrogate Oil
Posted on July 27, 2016Scientists developed the first molecular-level comparison of photochemical effects on surrogate and Macondo (MC252) oil to better understand this weathering process and the toxicity mechanisms it produces. -
Study Investigates Oil Spill Impacts and Recovery of Salt Marsh Fiddler Crab Populations
Posted on July 20, 2016Scientists conducted a meta-analysis of Gulf of Mexico fiddler crab data across multiple years, sites, and studies to examine if the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted the crabs’ size, abundance, and population composition. -
Investigating How Complex Deepwater Topography Influences Oil Dispersion
Posted on July 14, 2016The active environment of the Gulf of Mexico’s continental slope contains diverse currents that are difficult to simulate and predict. -
Study Uses Gulf Science Data to Analyze Water Chemistry near Deepwater Horizon
Posted on July 12, 2016Texas A&M University scientists analyzed data made publically-available by BP for 20,000+ water samples collected from 13,000 stations during and after the 2010 spill. They found that oil occurrence was patchy with only about 20% of the samples having hydrocarbon levels above pre-spill background conditions. -
Study Uses ROV Imaging System to Measure Gas Bubble Size, Velocity, and Diffusion
Posted on July 7, 2016Scientists used stereoscopic high-speed, high-resolution cameras mounted on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to make fine-scale imaging and chemistry measurements inside and around gas bubbles rising from two natural Gulf of Mexico seeps. -
Identifying Effective, Food-Grade Dispersants for the Future
Posted on July 5, 2016Oil spill responders currently have the option to treat oil spills with a synthetic dispersant called Corexit, however scientists continue to search for alternatives. In this search, scientists seek to develop an understanding of the specific mechanisms that drive dispersion and identify an effective combination of food-grade components. -
Study Examines Sediment East of Deepwater Horizon for Oil-Associated Marine Snow
Posted on June 30, 2016Scientists analyzed sea floor sediment in the Gulf of Mexico’s DeSoto Canyon region to investigate potential oil spill impacts. Evidence from sedimentological, geochronological, geochemical, and biological sources pointed to a rapid, 4-5 month sedimentation event in late 2010. -
Digging Up the Mechanisms of Buried Oil Degradation
Posted on June 28, 2016Spilled oil buried in nearshore sediment can persist for many years and act as a long-term source of episodic hydrocarbon contamination in the environment.
