Laboratory studies at the University of Miami suggest that exposure to Deepwater Horizon oil may have negatively affected heart function in mahi-mahi, reducing their ability to swim efficiently. Lela Schlenker is expanding that research to investigate if and how oil exposure alters the way mahi-mahi migrate and respond to predators and prey in the wild.
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Researchers assessed several years of sediment trap collections near the Deepwater Horizon site, an active natural seep site, and a reference site to understand transport pathways and drivers of sinking particles in deepwater environments (1400 m depth).
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Researchers conducted exposure experiments with mahi-mahi embryos using oil, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and temperature to determine how multiple stressors affect their survival. Compared to controls, exposed embryos floating near the ocean’s surface started to sink sooner and at faster rates, which intensified at higher temperatures.
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U.S. scientists are working with their Cuban counterparts to study the waters near the island nation. And as David Levin reports on Here & Now, what they learn could benefit both countries.
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The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to announce a new Sea Grant publication that explains the role that microbes play in using oil as an energy source and removing it from the environment.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A measurement of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil slick thickness/volume with critical socio-economic implications has been reported by researchers from a range of academic, government and industry bodies including the University of South Florida, the U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managements, and Abt Associates.
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