January 27, 2020 – Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

Biodegradable bamboo plates float on the ocean’s surface during a dispersion experiment in the Gulf of Mexico, February 2016. The research vessel Walton Smith and an oil platform are in background. Photo Credit: Maristella Berta

Study Shows that Floating Bamboo Plates Capture Strength of Small-Scale Ocean Currents

January 27, 2020

Researchers optically tracked 600 biodegradable bamboo plates floating in the Gulf of Mexico for 2.5 hours to better understand how small-scale currents (scales of minutes and meters) affect surface dispersion.