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Published Science Highlights
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Science Highlights Archive
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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. -
Study Investigates Influence of Hurricanes on Ocean Surface Currents
Posted on May 4, 2017Scientists used GPS data collected from ocean drifters during Hurricane Isaac with a coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean model to better understand how hurricanes affect upper ocean circulation. The researchers found that hurricane-induced Stokes drift (wind-wave-driven water mass transport) created a cyclonic rotational flow to the storm’s left and an anticyclonic rotational flow to its right. -
Study Analyzes Trends and Gaps in Oil Spill Literature Since 1968
Posted on April 25, 2017Researchers surveyed oil spill studies between 1968 and 2015 to characterize the field and describe changes. The team found that, despite its episodic nature, oil spill research is a rapidly expanding field with a growth rate greater than science as a whole. -
Study Quantifies Influence of Data Input on Confidence in Loop Current Forecasts
Posted on April 11, 2017Researchers described in a recent study a surrogate-based technique to quantify the uncertainty in forecasting the oceanic circulation. -
Study Characterizes Natural Deep Sea Seeps
Posted on April 4, 2017Mississippi scientists surveyed natural seeps near the Macondo blowout using a high-resolution autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to inform biogeochemical studies about the post-Deepwater Horizon water column and seafloor. -
Study Finds Jellyfish Mucus May Enhance Microbial Oil Biodegradation
Posted on March 23, 2017Scientists conducted laboratory experiments to examine the influence of moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) on crude oil aggregation and degradation. The researchers found that jellyfish swimming in a dispersed oil solution produced copious amounts of mucus which formed aggregates containing 26 times more oil than the surrounding water. -
Study Finds Corexit Triggers EPS Production, Enhancing Marine Snow Formation
Posted on March 16, 2017Scientists observed in laboratory experiments the formation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS, a natural microorganism excretion) when phytoplankton and their associated bacteria were exposed to Corexit dispersant. -
Study Characterizes River Plume Mixing Processes in Coastal Waters
Posted on March 7, 2017Scientists assessed the behavior of a Florida river plume to determine how it might influence the transport and dispersion of surface oil near coastal regions. The researchers found that the near-surface measurements of dissipation at the front’s bounding edge were four orders of magnitude larger than the environment beneath.
