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.

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Dr. Nicole Rhody with the Mote Aquaculture Park gives intraperitoneal injections of crude oil into a red drum. Photo credit: C-IMAGE

Study Investigates Species-Specific Differences in Fish Metabolism of Deepwater Horizon Oil

Researchers analyzed the metabolic capability of three Gulf of Mexico fish species after being exposed to toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds. Florida pompano exhibited faster biotransformation rates for hydroxylated naphthalene and phenanthrene compounds than red drum and southern flounder.

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Opportunity: Post-Doc Position, Beach Exposure and Child Health Study (BEACHES), University of Arkansas Public Health

Opportunity: Post-Doc Position, Beach Exposure and Child Health Study (BEACHES), University of Arkansas Public Health – FEBRUARY 5, 2018 A fully funded postdoctoral position is available starting January 1rst at the College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock Arkansas. The position is funded through a consortium grant…

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Smithsonian Features Research about Brittle Stars Helping Coral Recover from Oil Spill

The Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal published an article about deep sea coral affected by the Deepwater Horizon incident and how their recovery is linked to the sea creature that lives on them. The ECOGIG research consortium are monitoring the health of these corals over time using high-resolution imagery, and they have made some amazing discoveries.

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Study author Uta Passow prepares treatments for roller table experiments. Image provided by Passow.

Study Explores Complex Dispersant Effects on Marine Oil Snow Formation

Researchers simulated the sinking of marine particle aggregates in oil-dispersant mixtures to assess how Corexit chemical dispersant affects specific biological processes involving marine oil snow formation. The team found that Corexit could significantly enhance or inhibit marine oil snow formation depending on application timing and location and interactions with other water column compounds, making its influence difficult to predict.

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