April 2013 – Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

Oil droplets floating on surface water. (Photo by ehow.com)

A New Flavor of Dispersant

April 30, 2013

Often misunderstood by the public, dispersants are the single biggest weapon in the arsenal of those combating an oil spill.

Tests Indicate Decline in Coastal Marsh Insects Traced to BP Oil Spill

April 29, 2013

Preliminary results from field work and lab tests indicate two oil components — naphthalene and methylnaphthlane — are at least partly responsible for declines in insect populations in coastal marshes affected by the 2010 BP oil spill

Dr. Sabrina Taylor releases a Seaside Sparrow in its Louisiana marsh home after collecting information about its condition. (Photo credit: Phil Stouffer)

By Land and Not By Sea: Flying, Creeping, Crawling Critters in Marshes Help Track Oil Impact

April 29, 2013

Birds, crickets, ants, and other insects that live in Louisiana wetlands are helping researchers determine impacts to marsh life from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

One- to 2-inch long mucus aggregate formed experimentally to mimic conditions that led to the formation of similar large oily flocks after the spill. Such aggregates are very efficient in transporting material, including oil, down to the seafloor. Researchers are conducting studies to better understand when and how they form. (Photo credit: Julia Sweet, University of California Santa Barbara)

Study Shows Oil Promoted Formation of a Different Kind of Marine Snow

April 24, 2013

Scientists studying oil-contaminated surface waters near the well-head site immediately after the Deepwater Horizon incident published their findings in the July 2012 edition of Environmental Research Letters

Marine technicians Jennifer Hemphill, Matthew Metcalf and Sara Kerner set fyke nets (traps used to collect marsh-associated finfish and shellfish) near Point-aux-Pins, AL. (Photo credit: Ryan M. Moody)

Study Finds Coastal Alabama Marine Life Returns to Pre-Spill Numbers

April 22, 2013

Biologists studying the impacts of oil on marine species living in coastal Alabama salt marshes published their results in the March 2013 edition of the Public Library of Science (PLoS ONE)

Reed Dudley from Lake Weir High School (Ocala, FL) deploys his team’s ROV for the start of Mission I at the Deep-C Student ROV competition. (Photo credit: Tina Miller-Way)

Deep-C Technology Experiences Bring Science to Life for Students

April 18, 2013

Technology plays a key role in oil-spill studies and GoMRI consortia researchers are involving students in the nuts and bolts (literally) of science, turning abstract concepts into real-word applications.

Molecular ecologist Dr. Iliana Baums, a member of ECOGIG, observes samples of deep-sea corals during an experiment at sea aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s RV Falkor. (Photo credit: Debbie Nail Meyer)

The Human Side of Oil Spill Science

April 8, 2013

Experts from many fields of science have come together in an unprecedented manner to provide sound and trusted information.

The Deep-C SailBuoy sets sail after researchers launched it from the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory’s RV Apalachee. Photo taken by camera on the SailBouy.

Deep-C Launches the Gulf’s First SailBuoy for Scientific Observations

April 3, 2013

The self-powered, wind-propelled, autonomously-controlled vessel advances the way that scientists gather and transmit oceanic and atmospheric data.

Snapshot of a molecular dynamics simulation of methane hydrate formation showing water cages consisting of twelve pentagonal faces (green), twelve pentagonal and two hexagonal faces (pink) and twelve pentagonal and three hexagonal faces (orange). Methane molecules are shown in orange spheres. Water molecules that do not form a cage are not shown. The temperature and pressure are 240K and 200 bar, respectively. (Picture courtesy of Dr. Sapna Sarupria)

Study uses High-Speed Simulations to Understand “Chemical Herding” of Molecules

April 2, 2013

Scientists studying dispersants and related chemical compounds recently published their findings.

This brilliant red octopus (Benthoctopus sp.) was photographed at more than 8,800 feet (about 2,700 meters) in Alaminos Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico.(Credit: I. MacDonald (in Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Vol. 1. Biodiversity. Felder, D. L. and Camp, D. K. (eds.) 2009. Texas A&M Press.)

Save the Date: GoMRI RFP for 2015-2017 Research Consortia

April 1, 2013

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to announce the development of the GoMRI Request for Proposals for 2015-2017 GoMRI Research Consortia.