Grad Student Montgomery Explores How Ocean Chemistry Affects Microbes

Natural seeps are abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and help create a chemically unique habitat where microbial populations can flourish. Andy Montgomery is researching the relationship between marine microbes and ocean chemistry and how chemical shifts affect the role microorganisms play in biogeochemical cycling, a common pathway for chemicals and organic matter to move through the ocean.

Read more

Opportunity: Request for Proposal Arctic Domain Awareness Center

Opportunity: Request for Proposal Arctic Domain Awareness Center – APRIL 2, 2018 The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (a Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Center of Excellence) has just released the attached Request for Proposal (RFP) entitled “Seeking solutions to support U.S. Coast Guard in addressing an Arctic Maritime Oil Spill”. Download the full…

Read more
Nikaela Flournoy. (Provided by NIkaela Flournoy)

Grad Student Flournoy Emphasizes the Importance of Student Exposure to STEM

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.

Read more
Researchers sort the catch into fishes, crustaceans, squids, and jellyfishes. (Provided by DEEPEND)

Science at Sea: Deep-Sea Research Informs Taxonomic Assessment of Gulf Fauna

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.

Read more
Researchers used CTD and Niskin bottle rosettes to collect dissolved organic carbon samples aboard the R/V Pelican. In the distance is a nearby drilling ship on the Gulf of Mexico. Photo credit: Brad Rosenheim

Study Characterizes Dissolved Organic Carbon Cycling in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

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.

Read more
Shelby counting Spartina alterniflora shoot density and measuring shoot heights during a marsh habitat survey. (Photo credit: Lauren Clance)

Grad Student Ziegler Compares Gulf and East Coast Ecosystems for Predicting Saltmarsh Food Web Responses to Disturbances

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.

Read more

GoMRI Mourns the Passing of Dr. Matthew Howard

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.

Read more