CARTHE, RECOVER, and DEEPEND attend the Tortuga Music Festival. Photo Courtesy of Laura Bracken.

Spring 2017 – Education Spotlight

Spring 2017 – Education Spotlight – JUNE 8, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) The Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE), the Relationships of Effects of Cardiac Outcomes in Fish for Validation of Ecological Risk (RECOVER) Consortium, and the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) Consortium attended the Tortuga Music Festival from April 7-9, 2017…

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Ansley stands with her poster at the 2017 GoMOSES conference poster session. Photo provided by Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

High School Senior Presents Research at 2017 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference

High School Senior Presents Research at 2017 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference – JUNE 8, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) Ansley Chaplin is a senior at Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama. Last summer, she was awarded the Russell Quackenbush scholarship, offered by Dr. Jeff Krause and funded by the National…

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Spring 2017 – Frequently Asked Questions

Spring 2017 – Frequently Asked Questions – JUNE 8, 2017 (From Spring 2017 Newsletter) GoMRI is pleased to have Brad Benggio, Scientific Support Coordinator with NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, answer a few Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about his job, what scientific knowledge gaps remain in oil spill response, and how the science community…

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Patrick Schwing measures a sediment core extracted from the Gulf of Mexico seafloor. Photo Credit: Devon Firesinger 2015

Study Documents Initial Impacts and Recovery of Benthic Foraminifera after Deepwater Horizon

Scientists analyzed sediment cores from two sites near the Macondo wellhead to characterize possible spill impacts on benthic foraminifera (single celled organisms with a hard shell). The team found elevated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and a significant decrease in density and species diversity for foraminifera.

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ROV video feed. Credit: ECOGIG

Science at Sea: Researchers Monitor Marine Ecosystems Near Deepwater Horizon

A 12-day science expedition on the exploration vessel Ocean Intervention II embarks June 11 to investigate how oil, gas, and chemical dispersants affect marine life and their environment deep in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists and outreach personnel onboard the vessel will interact with the public and school-age children using streaming video, social media, and question-and-answer sessions.

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Marine Researchers Engage Fishing Communities to Improve Trust in Science

Trust in scientific findings is especially important when the research relates to your livelihood and health as it did for commercial and recreational fishing communities after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Many scientists conducting early studies on the spill believed that they were considered trustworthy, like firemen and policemen. However, it became apparent as the spill unfolded that the relationship of the public, science, and trust was complex and sometimes on shaky ground.

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