Researchers analyzed how satellite-tracked ocean surface drifters moved in the Gulf of Mexico to learn how other floating materials (oil, plastics, marine organisms) move.
Oil contains thousands of different compounds that each affect the environment and living organisms differently. While some compounds have been well-studied, there are exponentially more that have not.
Researchers examined metal exposure patterns in otoliths from six offshore fish species with varying health status to identify changes corresponding with the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Responders to the Deepwater Horizon incident applied unprecedented amounts of chemical dispersant on the surface oil slick and into the deep underwater plume forming from the riser pipe. Shortly thereafter, researchers observed that a brown flocculant material containing oil and dispersant components covered some deep-sea corals near the incident site.
Eight years after Deepwater Horizon, we reflect on the extraordinary establishment of the largest coordinated scientific endeavor around an ocean event – the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) – to understand, respond to, and mitigate impacts from this and future oil spills.
“I was not going to be stopped,” said Dr. Rita Colwell describing how she faced hurdles, many related to being a woman during her 60+ year science career, and blazed paths, including her being the first female director of the National Science Foundation.
Researchers analyzed 3D renderings of oil-particle aggregates to better understand their interactions in turbulent environments. The team found that hydrodynamic forces can cause sediment particles to act as projectiles that penetrate oil droplets.
The United Nations is developing the 2nd World Ocean Assessment and is looking for scientists from a broad range of marine-related disciplines to join their Pool of Experts. Scientists with expertise in the world’s ocean and marine areas, and especially those with experience in social sciences, are encouraged to apply.
“Magical discovery moments” is how Dr. Samantha “Mandy” Joye describes scenes at the bottom of the ocean. Now, thanks to the BBC-produced documentary series Blue Planet II, we can get a glimpse of these discovery moments and join discussions about the ocean’s importance.
Researchers designed an automated network-based classification method to process large acoustic datasets and identify distinct dolphin click types without requiring prior knowledge of their distinguishing features. The method identified seven click types from over 50 million echolocation clicks recorded in the Gulf of Mexico – six clicks of unknown origin and one click belonging to the Risso’s dolphin species.