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Published Science Highlights
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Science Highlights Archive
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Study Demonstrates How Natural Clay Particles Enhance Oil Dispersion and Biodegradation
Posted on May 7, 2019Scientists conducted laboratory experiments using an abundant natural clay material, kaolinite, modified with carbon derived from chitosan as an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical dispersants and visualized resulting phenomena at nanoscale detail. -
Study Characterizes Ecosystem-Scale Methane Dynamics Following Deepwater Horizon
Posted on April 30, 2019Scientists conducted a time-series investigation of methane concentrations, oxidation rates, and rate constant (the instantaneous capacity of the methanotrophic community to consume methane) to describe methane dynamics after the oil spill. -
Study Shows How Copepods Can Change the Size Spectrum of Oil Droplets
Posted on April 16, 2019Scientists conducted laboratory experiments to investigate if copepod behavior can reshape the size frequency distribution of oil droplets. -
Study Explains How Large Rotating Currents Near Cuba Influence the Gulf Stream
Posted on April 10, 2019Researchers described, for the first time, the dynamics and interactions of regional ocean flows with both anticyclonic eddies (circulating clockwise) near Cuba’s northern coast (dubbed “CubANs”) and cyclonic eddies (circulating counter-clockwise) along Florida’s southern coast. -
Study Finds Gel-like Biofilms May Be More Efficient at Oil Dispersal than Corexit
Posted on April 2, 2019Scientists conducted mesocosm experiments with natural microbial communities to compare oil emulsion and dispersion mechanisms by microbial secretions of exopolymeric substances, EPS, also known as gels, and Corexit, a dispersant. -
Study Provides Insights into Indirect Effects on Food Webs from Oiled Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Posted on March 28, 2019Scientists conducted laboratory experiments to assess how oil affects the chemical composition of submerged vegetation (Ruppia maritima) and subsequent effects on how organisms feed on oil-exposed plants. -
Study Creates Microcosm That Mimics Bacteria Encountering Rising Oil Droplets
Posted on March 19, 2019Scientists developed a platform at environmentally-relevant scales to advance the study of oil-water interface interactions, biofilm formation, and particle dispersion. -
Study Reveals Corals’ Cellular Response to Oil and Dispersant Exposure
Posted on March 5, 2019Scientists used next-generation sequencing to analyze deep-sea corals following the Deepwater Horizon incident. -
Study Estimates Larger-than-Expected Oil Footprint Near the Damaged Taylor Energy Platform
Posted on February 26, 2019Researchers analyzed remote sensing imagery to assess oil slicks near the Taylor Energy platform, which was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, and determined how environmental conditions affected the slicks’ distributions. -
Study Finds Low Salinity May Mitigate Oil and Dispersant Effects on Oysters
Posted on February 5, 2019Researchers conducted mesocosm experiments that examined how juvenile eastern oysters respond to salinity variations in the presence of oil and dispersed oil.
