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.
The Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal published an article about the diverse deep sea species found in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon incident. The DEEPEND research consortium identified nearly 800 different species in Gulf waters, including 180 species not previously observed in the Gulf of Mexico region.
It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Dr. Matthew Howard passed away unexpectedly on February 8, 2018. His work related to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was with data management at the program level (the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative or GRIIDC) and with the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Spill Response or GISR consortium.
The recent TechSurge: Advancing Oil Spill Research brought together the GoMRI and Marine Technology Society (MTS) communities to share research results and discuss how they might work together to better prepare for future oil spills.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative congratulates its Research Board member Dr. Peter G. Brewer on receiving the Award for International Scientific Cooperation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS).
Researchers analyzed the metabolic capability of three Gulf of Mexico fish species after being exposed to toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds. Florida pompano exhibited faster biotransformation rates for hydroxylated naphthalene and phenanthrene compounds than red drum and southern flounder.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to announce a new Sea Grant publication that discusses how communities respond to a human-induced incident such as an oil spill as compared to natural disasters.
Researchers evaluated training sessions for community health workers that included disaster-related components to provide improvements in their curricula. Feedback from participants and staff identified public health, cultural competency, community advocacy, and peer listening as the most useful training modules.
Opportunity: Post-Doc Position, Beach Exposure and Child Health Study (BEACHES), University of Arkansas Public Health – FEBRUARY 5, 2018 A fully funded postdoctoral position is available starting January 1rst at the College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock Arkansas. The position is funded through a consortium grant…
The Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal published an article about deep sea coral affected by the Deepwater Horizon incident and how their recovery is linked to the sea creature that lives on them. The ECOGIG research consortium are monitoring the health of these corals over time using high-resolution imagery, and they have made some amazing discoveries.