The Smithsonian recently published an article that included research, funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), that investigated the behavior of fish larvae around oil. The referenced study is of particular interest because the amount of oil used in exposure experiments were at levels recorded in industrialized sections of tropical coral reefs worldwide.
The Smithsonian recently published an article about research, funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), that investigates oil spill impacts on different life stages of mahi mahi. Highlights include what is involved in conducting this cutting-edge research, what is being discovered about mahi mahi that is not oil-spill related, and the multiple scientific perspectives that help develop a comprehensive understanding of these important fish.
The Smithsonian Ocean Portal posted a blog that describes the needs and challenges of sharing scientific data, especially unique data collected after a disaster such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Genomics is a powerful method to track things that humans cannot see. Months and years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, many people wondered where the oil went or where it might be lingering or what it may affect after it was no longer visible. Scientists are using genomic techniques such as DNA sequencing to help answer some of these questions.
Jellyfish push water in and out of their bells to propel themselves forward. Researchers are investigating if and how the small underwater waves and currents created by Jellyfish movements can help break up oil spilled in marine ecosystems.
Unhealthy lifestyle choices are a major contributor to obesity, but did you know that a component in dispersants used to treat oil spills and in many personal care products could increase fat cell production?
Phytoplankton are active organic carbon producers and help drive the processes that move carbon from the ocean surface to the sea floor. Scientists are investigating impacts from the sudden large input of carbon from the Deepwater Horizon spill on this important biological cycle.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is one of many stressors affecting wetlands ecology, and scientists are investigating impacts from natural and human-caused disturbances on marsh health and surrounding water chemistry.
An exciting aspect of scientific research is unexpected discovery. While investigating impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists made unanticipated, yet fundamentally important, discoveries that shape our understanding of ocean science and Gulf ecosystems.
Responders to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill used nearly two million gallons of dispersant to assist biodegradation and prevent shoreline oiling.