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Published Science Highlights
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Science Highlights Archive
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Study Assesses How Chemical Dispersant Affects Oil Plume Behavior
Posted on August 15, 2017Scientists conducted laboratory experiments with a simulated oil plume to assess how chemical dispersants affect a crude oil jet as it transitions into a plume under crossflow conditions. -
Study Characterizes Effects of Corexit Components on Oil Aerosolization
Posted on August 8, 2017Researchers combined laboratory experiments and molecular simulations to examine how two Corexit surfactants – DOSS (dioctyl sulfosuccinate) and Span 80 – individually affect oil aerosolization. -
Study Analyzes Metabolic Pathways of Oil-Degrading Bacteria
Posted on August 1, 2017Researchers analyzed bacterial communities exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil and identified taxa and genes associated with oil degradation and assimilation. The scientists found that Marinobacter and Alcanivorax dominated alkane-degrading communities, while Alteromonadales, Oceanospirillales, and Rhodospirillales dominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading communities. -
Study Identifies Key Species that Influence Marsh Ecosystem Responses to Oiling
Posted on July 25, 2017Scientists constructed a food web model using data from published studies and their field experiences to understand how specific Louisiana salt marsh organisms influenced ecosystem response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The researchers found that carnivorous fishes were “critically resilient” and likely enhanced food web resilience. -
Study Finds UV Exposure Late in Mahi-Mahi Embryo Development Enhances Oil Toxicity
Posted on July 18, 2017Researchers conducted laboratory experiments on mahi-mahi embryos to determine the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV) and oil co-exposure during different times in their development. The team observed that UV affected the success of mahi-mahi hatch in all exposure scenarios compared to controls but was highest (a 1.6- to 6-fold increase) when co-exposure occurred late in embryonic development. -
Study Develops Method to Quantify DOSS in Gulf of Mexico Sediments
Posted on July 11, 2017Scientists developed and validated a high-resolution mass spectrometry method to fill data gaps in existing methods that detect the surfactant DOSS, a significant Corexit component, in sediments near the Deepwater Horizon spill site. -
Study Identifies Oil Carbons Associated with Deepwater Horizon in Terrestrial Birds
Posted on June 27, 2017Scientists analyzed the carbon composition in Seaside Sparrow tissues to learn if oil from the 2010 spill was incorporated into the terrestrial food web. The researchers found reduced radiocarbon and stable carbon concentration levels in the feathers of birds captured at oiled sites compared with birds from non-oiled sites, which is consistent with a fossil oil source. -
Study Documents Initial Impacts and Recovery of Benthic Foraminifera after Deepwater Horizon
Posted on June 8, 2017Scientists analyzed sediment cores from two sites near the Macondo wellhead to characterize possible spill impacts on benthic foraminifera (single celled organisms with a hard shell). The team found elevated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and a significant decrease in density and species diversity for foraminifera. -
Study Describes Response from Distinct Bacterial Groups to Marine Oil Snow
Posted on May 31, 2017Scientists conducted genetic sequencing on bacteria to document the oil-associated groups in sediment affected by marine oil snow post-Deepwater Horizon. The researchers observed increases in bacteria that degrade aerobic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria in sediment collected from September-November 2010. -
Studies Highlight Complexities in Connecting Larval Fish Health to Deepwater Horizon
Posted on May 9, 2017Scientists examined Red Snapper and Spanish Mackerel larvae before, during, and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to determine if and how the spill may have affected them.
