GoMRI Newsletter: Fall Issue 2016

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Above the Fold

“CARTHE Partners with Local Organizations and Community in Bay Drift Study”
– “Summertime & Fall Fieldwork
“GoMRI Attends 2016 Clean Gulf Conference in Tampa, FL”
Frequently Asked Questions by Chuck Wilson
Note from the Research Board Chair
Education Spotlight
GoMRI Researcher Interview with Dr. Scott Grayson

 

 

 

 

 

Community Happenings

Science Corner

Published Science Highlights from the GoMRI Program

Study Suggests Wider Range of Mahi-Mahi’s Genetic Responses to Oil Exposure
E.G. Xu, E.M. Mager, M. Grosell, C. Pasparakis, L.S. Schlenker, J.D. Stieglitz, D. Benetti, E.S. Hazard, S.M. Courtney, G. Diamante, J. Freitas, G. Hardiman, D. Schlenk
Environmental Science and Technology, 2016, Vol. 50(14), pgs. 7842-7851

Study Finds Natural Sunlight Affects Oil-Degrading Bacteria Composition and Dynamics
H.P. Bacosa, Z. Liu, D.L. Erdner
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2015

Study Details Underwater Oil Plume Formation and Droplet Size Distribution
L. Zhao, F. Shaffer, B. Robinson, T. King, C. D’Ambrose, Z. Pan, F. Gao, R.S. Miller, R.N. Conmy, M.C. Boufadel
Chemical Engineering Journal, 2016, Vol. 299, pgs. 292-303

Study Compares Natural Sunlight Effects on Macondo and Surrogate Oil
P.P. Vaughan, T. Wilson, R. Kamerman, M.E. Hagy, A. McKenna, H. Chen, W.H. Jeffrey
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2016, Vol. 104(1-2), pgs. 262-268

Study Investigates Oil Spill Impacts and Recovery of Salt Marsh Fiddler Crab Populations
S. Zengel, S.C. Pennings, B. Silliman, C. Montague, J. Weaver, D.R. Deis, M.O. Krasnec, N. Rutherford, Z. Nixon
Estuaries and Coasts, 2016, Vol. 39(4), pgs. 1154-1163

Study Uses Gulf Science Data to Analyze Water Chemistry near Deepwater Horizon
T.L. Wade, J.L. Sericano, S.T. Sweet, A.H. Knap, N.L. Guinasso, Jr.
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2016, Vol. 103(1-2), pgs. 286-293

Study Uses ROV Imaging System to Measure Gas Bubble Size, Velocity, and Diffusion
B. Wang, S. A. Socolofsky, J.A. Breier, J.S. Seewald
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2016, Vol. 121(4), pgs. 2203-2230

Study Examines Sediment East of the Deepwater Horizon for Oil-Associated Marine Snow
G.R. Brooks, R.A. Larson, P.T. Schwing, I. Romero, C. Moore, G. Reichart, T. Jilbert, J.P. Chanton, D.W. Hastings, W.A. Overholt, K.P. Marks, J.E. Kostka, C.W. Holmes, D. Hollander
PLOS One, 2015, Vol. 10(7): e0132341

Study Shows Dispersants Did Not Improve Oil Biodegradation
S. Kleindienst, M. Seidal, K. Ziervogel, S. Grim, K. Loftis, S. Harrison, S. Malkin, M. Perkins, J. Field, M. Sogin, R. Dittmar, U. Passow, P. Medeiros, S. Joye
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2015, Vol. 112(48), pgs. 14900-14905

Study Observes Mobile Bay Plume Dynamics on Coastal Circulation
B. Dzwonkowski, K. Park, R. Collini
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2015, Vol. 120(9), pgs. 6145-6163

To see all GoMRI publications, please visit the GoMRI Publication Database.

Video Clip of the Quarter

RECOVER recently shared a video of their efforts to satellite tag wild Mahi. The goal of this experiment is to track wild Mahi over a course of 90 days to record their position, depth, and acceleration. RECOVER hopes that this information will help scientists better understand how wild Mahi move, hunt, and spawn. Check out the video here!

Also check out a previous video posted by RECOVER, featuring Ph.D. student Lela Schlenker, who leads this experiment. The video discusses the concept behind the tagging of the Mahi and how the data is collected.

GoMRI Newsmakers

GoMRI would like to extend congratulations to Dr. Rita Colwell, Chair of the GoMRI Research Board, on serving as founding author of a new journal set to be released jointly by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and Wiley called GeoHealth. GeoHealth “will disseminate research relating Earth and environmental sciences to human, agricultural, and environmental health.” Congratulations to Dr. Colwell on being a part of this exciting new endeavor, connecting the earth and environmental sciences with human health!

The GoMRI community would like to congratulate Dr. Bill Hogarth, a member of GoMRI’s Research Board, on receiving the Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award. He was honored with the award in recognition of his many achievements in the marine sciences. Dr. Hogarth recently retired after a distinguished 51-year career. Congratulations to Dr. Hogarth!

GoMRI Scholars in Action

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is recognizing the graduate students whose vital research contribute to improving understanding about the damage, response, and recovery of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Candidates for this program must be graduate students who have participated in a GoMRI-funded project for at least one year, whose work is primarily funded by GoMRI, and who are working on a dissertation or thesis based on GoMRI-funded science.

Learn more about the scholars’ research and career paths on the GoMRI website:

Sea Grant

The Gulf Sea Grant team hosted several seminars throughout the summer and fall. On August 30th, they hosted a seminar in Miami, Florida called Technology and Deepwater Horizon, which highlighted new technologies that have resulted from studying the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Tours of some laboratories on the University of Miami-Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science campus were provided for in-person attendees. Additional information on this seminar, including a recording, can be found here<.

On September 27th, the Gulf Sea Grant team hosted a seminar called Building Resilient Communities: Lessons Learned from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill at the University of Southern Mississippi Park Campus. Panelists spoke about programs available to communities following disasters and lessons learned in increasing community resilience. More information about the seminar, including a recording, is available here.

The Gulf Sea Grant team hosted a workshop on November 8th at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) annual conference in Grand Caymen called Oil Spill Science and Information Needs for Gulf and Caribbean Regional Stakeholders. The workshop focused on discussing information needs in response to oil spills. The team also collected information from workshop participants that will help guide the development of new products and resources going forward. More information on this workshop can be found here.

The Gulf Sea Grant team also released a new publication called Skin Lesions in Fish: Was There a Connection to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill? Following the 2010 oil spill, many fishermen began noticing lesions on the skin of offshore fishes and wanted to know if they were in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This publication summarizes what fish skin lesions are, if they are a cause for concern when eating seafood, and if they were caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Read the publication here.

Finally, the Gulf Sea Grant team attended the 2016 Clean Gulf conference in Tampa, Florida from November 1-3 in partnership with GoMRI Management Team members. A full summary of that conference can be found here.

Ocean Portal

Just in time for Halloween, Smithsonian Ocean Portal published their most recent article called “Meet the Tiny Bacteria that Give Anglerfishes Their Spooky Glow” in partnership with DEEPEND. The article describes the symbiotic relationship between anglerfish and Photobacterium. Photobacterium live inside anglerfishes’ esca, or lure, where they create a bioluminescent glow that helps the anglerfish catch prey. In return the Photobaterium receive protection and nutrients as the anglerfish swims through the water. Check out the amazing story here<!

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