Winter 2018 – Education Spotlight – MARCH 29, 2018 (From Winter 2018 Newsletter) The Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) consortium recently published a timeline featuring images of the incredible biodiversity they encountered during their five research cruises in the Gulf of Mexico from May 2015 to May 2017. It lists…
Winter 2018 – Frequently Asked Questions – MARCH 29, 2018 (From Winter 2018 Newsletter) Principal Investigator Dr. Eric Chassignet and Scientific Director Dr. Steve Moray from the Consortium for Simulation of Oil-Microbial Interactions in the Ocean (CSOMIO) and Principal Investigator Dr. Lori Schwacke from the Consortium for Advanced Research on Marine Mammal Health Assessment (CARMMHA)…
Oil Spill Scientists, Responders, and GoMRI Community Gather in New Orleans for 2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference – MARCH 29, 2018 (From Winter 2018 Newsletter) The 2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science (GoMOSES) conference was held from February 5-8, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans,…
Winter 2018 – Note from the Research Board Chair – MARCH 29, 2018 (From Winter 2018 Newsletter) Dr. Rita Colwell, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University The 2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science (GoMOSES) conference in New Orleans, Louisiana was a splendid event and provided an opportunity for me to make…
C-IMAGE Partners with Marine Technology Society on TechSurge – MARACH 29, 2018 (From Winter 2018 Newsletter) Contributing Author: Sherryl Gilbert, C-IMAGE Assistant Director The Center for the Integrated Modeling and Analysis of the Gulf Ecosystem (C-IMAGE) partnered with the Marine Technology Society (MTS) to host a TechSurge event on February 5, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The…
Winter 2018 – GoMRI Researcher Interview with Dr. Tim Slack – MARCH 29, 2018 (From Winter 2018 Newsletter) Dr. Tim Slack from Louisiana State University answered a few questions about his RFP-V project, Understanding Resilience Attributes for Children, Youth, and Communities in the Wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, and his work with the…
Nikaela Flournoy’s scientific journey has always carried a societal tie, from her passion for research’s social relevance to her realizations about the relationship between society and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Though she is excited to see a greater emphasis on STEM in primary and secondary education, she hopes to help expand STEM awareness and curriculum to students from diverse educational and social backgrounds.
The deep-pelagic ecosystem was the largest habitat affected by the Deepwater Horizon incident, yet our limited knowledge about its fauna makes it difficult to compare their conditions before and after the spill. Researchers with the DEEPEND consortium are developing a quantitative, taxonomically comprehensive assessment of these deep-sea creatures to estimate their vulnerability and ability to recover from disturbances.
Researchers analyzed dissolved organic carbon from water column samples collected in five regions to establish baseline data about its relative persistence and cycling in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The team found that the Mississippi River exports large amounts of dissolved organic carbon with an anthropogenic 14C signature, which is removed and recycled offshore as the river plume moves offshore.
Major disturbances such as oil spills can significantly affect populations of vulnerable saltmarsh species, which may result in greater impacts to the overall saltmarsh food web. Shelby Ziegler believes that a better understanding of what saltmarsh predator-prey interactions look like today can help identify changes in the food web following disturbances in the future.