Study Finds Currents One Centimeter Below Ocean’s Surface Greatly Affect Material Transport
Researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind measurement of the vertical dynamics of water motion near the ocean’s surface in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Study Finds Small Scale Ocean Currents Cause Clustering of Floating Material
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.
Grad Student Wang Quantifies Ocean Model Uncertainty to Improve Prediction Accuracy
Researchers use numerical models to simulate oil spill scenarios and predict where oil will go, but the many factors that affect the oil’s path creates uncertainty in the predictions. Shitao Wang quantifies the uncertainty of ocean models to gauge the reliability of oil fate predictions.
Study Finds Small-Scale Flows Alter Transport Pathways on the Ocean’s Surface
Scientists analyzed model simulations of tracer dispersion in a Gulf of Mexico eddy to find out if small-scale flows surrounding the eddy influenced where the tracer went.
Science at Sea: SPLASH Experiment Improves Predictions for Oil Moving toward Shore
Response decisions during Deepwater Horizon relied on forecasts of where the oil was going and when it would get there. Researchers with the CARTHE consortium have been working to improve the information that goes into making ocean transport forecasts.
New technology measures small-scale currents that transport ocean plastics, oil spills
Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science have developed a new technology to measure the currents near the ocean’s surface that carry pollutants such as plastics and spilled oil.
Study Quantifies Influence of Data Input on Confidence in Loop Current Forecasts
Researchers described in a recent study a surrogate-based technique to quantify the uncertainty in forecasting the oceanic circulation.
Rapid Response Study Documents Marine Microbial Response to Hercules Gas Blowout
Research consortia involved in the GoMRI self-organized a rapid response to characterize the waters around the Hercules 265 rig. They found evidence of an immediate response from the surrounding environment’s microbial community to elevated methane concentrations.
Scientists Use Oil Spill Research to Track Pollution in Biscayne Bay
It’s almost like a game of tug-of-war. There are growing numbers of residents, tourists, and industry at one end and the environment where people live, work, and play at the other. When the former increases, the latter is stressed. This scenario plays out all over the world, especially in coastal areas.
Rapid Response Study Characterizes Behaviors of Accidental Short-Term Oil Blowouts
An interdisciplinary scientific team conducted a rapid response sampling campaign in the immediate aftermath of the 2013 Hercules 265 blowout to determine if sediment and fish were polluted above established baseline levels.