Monthly Archives: August 2016

Audio-VideoDispatches from the GulfShort Clips (<15 Minutes) Video: Invasion of the Lionfish Dispatches_Logo

Will Patterson at Dauphin Island Sea Lab studies reef fish communities and the dramatic effect the non-native lionfish are having on native fish populations. The creators of award-winning environmental series Journey to Planet Earth (hosted by Matt Damon) present Dispatches from the Gulf – an upcoming documentary film and educational outreach initiative highlighting exclusive scientific Read More

Audio-VideoDispatches from the GulfShort Clips (<15 Minutes) Video: Watermen of the Gulf Dispatches_Logo

Fisherfolk share their feelings about working and living along the Gulf of Mexico. The creators of award-winning environmental series Journey to Planet Earth (hosted by Matt Damon) present Dispatches from the Gulf – an upcoming documentary film and educational outreach initiative highlighting exclusive scientific discoveries in health, ecosystems, innovation and recovery in the post-oil spill Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Huettel: Biodegradation & Ecosystem Recovery in Coastal Marine Sediments Researcher Markus Huettel

Markus Huettel gives an overview of the project at the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference January 2016 The A systems approach to improve predictions of biodegradation and ecosystem recovery in coastal marine sediments impacted by oil spill project is lead by P.I. Markus Huettel, Florida State University. After coastal oil spills, petroleum Read More

C-IMAGEGoMRI StudentsPeople Grad Student Sun Uses Sun Glint to Assess Oil Spills  Shaojie presents his research on sun glint requirements for oil film detection at the 2016 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Conference in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chuanmin Hu)

Those who have ever photographed the ocean on a sunny day have likely noticed how the reflected sunlight made the water gleam, often distorting the image. Shaojie Sun has quantified this phenomenon, called “sun glint,” to help address a longstanding limitation in scientists’ ability to assess oil seeps and spills using satellite imagery. Shaojie is Read More

CONCORDEGoMRI StudentsPeople Grad Student Boyette Maps Plankton to Better Understand the Nearshore Environment Adam Boyette retrieves a glider on the deck of the R/V Point Sur, where he served as chief scientist on the three-day cruise examining the impacts of the Bonnet Carré spillway opening. (Photo by Alison Deary)

Microscopic organisms called plankton, an important component of the marine food web, congregate in the freshwater-laden coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Adam Boyette wants to learn more about how and where these plankton live to better understand how an oil spill or other disaster might impact their populations. He is collaborating with Read More

Audio-VideoCWCDispatches from the GulfShort Clips (<15 Minutes) Video: Meet Nancy Rabalais – Focusing on Coastal Ecosystems Dispatches_Logo

Professor Nancy Rabalais (LUMCON) and her team focus their research on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on coastal ecosystems – particularly the Louisiana wetlands and marshes. The creators of award-winning environmental series Journey to Planet Earth (hosted by Matt Damon) present Dispatches from the Gulf – an upcoming documentary film and educational Read More

Audio-VideoDispatches from the GulfShort Clips (<15 Minutes) Video: It Was Just A Scary, Scary Time Dispatches_Logo

Louisiana waterman David Chauvin describes how the shrimping community in the Gulf is used to dealing with and recovering from natural disasters like hurricanes, but the man-made disaster that was Deepwater Horizon has left them unsure of how to move forward. The unknown duration and depth of the oil spill’s impact has instilled fear among Read More

CARTHEPeopleTeachers and Students Fostering a Love of Learning – CARTHE Outreach colorful drift cards

Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE) teamed up with Project Give Kids (PGkids) to expose a bright group of foster kids, ranging in age from 1st grade to high school, to the amazing world of marine science. The students started the day with CARTHE outreach manager, Laura Bracken, who Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Highlights Bringing Marine Snow to the Oil Transport Forecast A photograph of oil-marine snow aggregates at the water’s surface in the Gulf of Mexico, May 2011. (Photo by Andrew Warren)

Evidence suggests that when oil interacts with particles in the marine environment, it can form larger, rapidly sinking particles called marine snow. These oily aggregates are often transported from the sea surface to the seafloor. The snow falls more like a heavy blizzard than a light flurry for large discharges such as the Deepwater Horizon Read More