April 24, 2013 – Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

You are here:

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

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