The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to announce a new Sea Grant informational brochure just in time for the summer boating season. The one-page guide gives boaters information on how to prepare for, respond to, and report an accidental oil or fuel spill on their vessels.
Scientists analyzed the carbon composition in Seaside Sparrow tissues to learn if oil from the 2010 spill was incorporated into the terrestrial food web. The researchers found reduced radiocarbon and stable carbon concentration levels in the feathers of birds captured at oiled sites compared with birds from non-oiled sites, which is consistent with a fossil oil source.
Sakib Mahmud tests combinations of passive acoustic monitoring equipment to find the best method to detect and measure marine mammal populations affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. His findings will help improve our understanding of long-term environmental impacts of the spill on deep-diving marine mammals and aid in improving oil spill regulations, monitoring, and mitigation efforts.
Recently, researchers and outreach staff from Consortia funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) participated in a variety of events to share science related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Here’s a picture tour that shows teams helping the public learn more about Gulf of Mexico research.
Marine oil snow is the largest commuter of carbon to the seafloor and occurs when oil and marine particles aggregate and sink through the water column. Previous studies show that oil and dispersant significantly increased marine microorganisms’ production of exopolymeric substances (EPS), an extremely sticky goo that holds marine snow together. Maya Morales-McDevitt conducts mesocosm experiments investigating how certain naturally occurring nutrients influence EPS production and oil degradation.
The Smithsonian recently published an article about research, funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), that investigates oil spill impacts on different life stages of mahi mahi. Highlights include what is involved in conducting this cutting-edge research, what is being discovered about mahi mahi that is not oil-spill related, and the multiple scientific perspectives that help develop a comprehensive understanding of these important fish.
Spring 2017 – Note from the Research Board Chair – JUNE 8, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) Dr. Rita Colwell, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University April 20, 2017 marked the seventh anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Over the seven years since the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was launched, extensive…
GoMRI Attends 2017 International Oil Spill Conference – JUNE 18, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) attended the 2017 International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) from May 15-18 in Long Beach, California. Members of the GoMRI Management Team (GMT), the Gulf Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Outreach Team, and the…
Spring 2017 – Education Spotlight – JUNE 8, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) The Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE), the Relationships of Effects of Cardiac Outcomes in Fish for Validation of Ecological Risk (RECOVER) Consortium, and the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) Consortium attended the Tortuga Music Festival from April 7-9, 2017…
High School Senior Presents Research at 2017 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference – JUNE 8, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) Ansley Chaplin is a senior at Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama. Last summer, she was awarded the Russell Quackenbush scholarship, offered by Dr. Jeff Krause and funded by the National…