USFSP oceanographer works to prepare for next disaster – NOVEMBER 2, 2019 (From Tampa Bay Times / November 2, 2019) The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 was the largest marine oil spill in history. Almost 5 million barrels of oil flowed unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico for six months; the damage persists and…
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Following Deepwater Horizon, there was concern about how the oil spill might affect marine life. Since then, scientists have learned more about how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) affect marine organisms, especially commercially and recreationally important fisheries.
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Researchers examined the biological and physiological response of phytoplankton to oil and oil plus dispersant in laboratory experiments.
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The Deepwater Horizon incident affected more than 1,700 km of Gulf of Mexico coastline. Chemical compounds from the oil spill posed a risk to human health, especially children whose play behaviors often bring them in direct contact with sand and water.
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Scientist John Taylor with the University of Cambridge analyzed simulations of small-scale fronts (<10 kilometers across) to better understand how they influence buoyant material transport across the ocean.
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Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) congratulates scientists with the LADC-GEMM research consortium on receiving the 2019 Rollie Lamberson Research Award presented at the International Resource Modeling Association conference in Montreal, Canada.
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Shearing typically occurs along coastal marshes when strong storms rip away the plants at the marsh edge. Because oiled shoreline sediment is in a weakened state and less able to securely hold plants in place, some Louisiana marshes that were heavily oiled following Deepwater Horizon are experiencing more shearing than usual.
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Scientists analyzed radiocarbon isotopes, which identify the source of carbons in compounds such as oil and methane, and applied those “fingerprints” to quantify recovery of deep-seafloor sediment contaminated by Deepwater Horizon.
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Opportunity: Texas A&M Sea Grant Administration, Program Coordinator II P11 – OCTOBER 7, 2019 The Sea Grant Science Outreach Program is seeking a Texas-based extension specialist to join the team. The interdisciplinary Gulf-wide team members bring peer-reviewed oil spill and ecosystem science findings to people with a vested interest in a healthy marine environment through…
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Scientists can use radium isotopes, which are released from oil in seawater and decay at a specific rate, as geochemical tracers to investigate marine processes involved in oil degradation.
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