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Published Science Highlights
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Science Highlights Archive
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Eight-Year Study Quantifies How Oiling is a Continuing Stressor on the Marsh Ecosystem
Posted on August 29, 2019Scientists measured changes in oil quantity and quality in 1,200+ samples collected over eight years at locations that Deepwater Horizon affected – the Gulf of Mexico continental shelf, estuarine waters, and marsh sediments. -
Study Explains How Oil Spills Can Initiate Harmful Algal Blooms
Posted on August 20, 2019Scientists conducted field and laboratory experiments using oil and Corexit dispersant to uncover the reasons harmful algal blooms, also known as Red Tides, can occur after an oil spill. -
Study Tests STARRS Imaging of Short-Lived Small-Scale Dispersion on Ocean’s Surface
Posted on August 15, 2019Researchers described field methods and observations using the Ship-Tethered Aerostat Remote Sensing System (STARSS) to better understand how buoyant material moves and disperses on the ocean’s surface. -
Study Provides New Way of Looking at Energy Exchange at the Air-Sea Boundary Layer
Posted on August 8, 2019Scientists assessed the dynamics of heat and momentum exchange between the ocean and atmosphere to better understand how these factors influence Gulf of Mexico circulation. -
Study Finds Slick Oil has Greater Impact than Source Oil on Fish Development
Posted on July 30, 2019Scientists analyzed effects from non-weathered source oil (collected directly over the Deepwater Horizon wellhead) and weathered slick oil (collected from surface skimming) on the microRNAs of mahi-mahi embryos. -
Study Tracks Ocean Methane Dissolution with Environmental Data and Computer Models
Posted on July 23, 2019Scientists traced and analyzed methane bubbles as they ascended from a deep seafloor seep to the ocean’s surface and compared results to two computer models’ output to better understand methane dissolution processes. -
Study Finds Oil Exposure Reduces Cardiorespiratory Function in Cobia Fish
Posted on July 16, 2019Researchers conducted swim tests on Gulf of Mexico Cobia fish to investigate potential impacts from oil exposure. -
Study Improves Drifter-Based Estimates of Near-Surface Ocean Currents
Posted on July 10, 2019Scientists developed a new approach to improve near-surface (15 meters depth) ocean circulation estimations derived from drogued and undrogued drifters (drogues extend below the surface, providing stability) used in the NOAA Global Drifter Program. -
Study Finds Oil Impacts on Fiddler Crabs May Also Affect Broader Marsh Health
Posted on July 2, 2019Scientists conducted mesocosm experiments to explore how crude oil affects marsh-dwelling fiddler crabs, classified as ecosystem engineers or bioturbators. The researchers tested impacts of various oil concentrations to mimic light (L) to heavy (H) oiling scenarios, with fiddler crabs experiencing more acute impacts at higher oil concentrations and less at lower concentrations. -
Study Finds Dispersed Oil, But Not Oil Alone, Negatively Affects Phytoplankton
Posted on June 25, 2019Scientists conducted mesocosm experiments to examine how oil and chemically-dispersed oil affect Gulf of Mexico phytoplankton. Exposure to oil alone did not impair phytoplankton growth or their photosynthesis ability, nor did it significantly change the community’s diversity.
