Monthly Archives: July 2017

Apps & Interactive SitesC-IMAGEClassroom Materials Website: Beneath the Horizon – A Web Resource for the 1979 and 2010 Oil Spills A map of the Gulf of Mexico that shows the Deepwater Horizon and Ixtoc spills. Image provided by C-IMAGE

Scientists and outreach personnel created an on-line resource that examines two major oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico: The Deepwater Horizon in the northern Gulf and the Ixtoc in the southern Gulf. The Beneath the Horizon website, developed by the Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE) research group and Jake Price Productions, explores these spills, Read More

C-IMAGEGoMRI ScienceResearch Stories Science at Sea: U.S. and Cuban Scientists Collaborate in Historic OneGulf Expedition Marine geologist David Hollander (USF, right) instructs Cuban students on sediment core sampling techniques off northwest Cuba. Dr. Greg Brooks (Eckerd College, orange shirt) assists. Photo courtesy of C-IMAGE

Gulf-wide baseline for oil pollution monitoring complete!   Marine scientists advanced academic relations between the U.S. and Cuba during an 18-day research expedition (May 8-25) off the northwest coast of the island nation. Twenty-four scientists representing four universities sailed on the R/V Weatherbird II and collected 450 fish, 50 plankton, 150 water, and 1,500 sediment samples. They Read More

Audio-VideoGoMRI ScienceLADC-GEMMResearch StoriesShort Clips (<15 Minutes) Video: LADC-GEMM Drone Footage of Research Cruise 4545

A recent visual and acoustic survey of the northern Gulf of Mexico assessed changes in marine mammal distribution and ambient noise levels following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The short clip follows the R/V Pelican as it surveys the area. Watch the video here.

ECOGIGPeopleTeachers and Students ECOGIG Hosts Second Annual Ocean Discovery Camp 4541

Campers aged 11-14 explored ocean topics such as deep oceans, ecosystems, and chemosynthetic processes through hands-on projects, games, videos, and slideshows. The students also designed and built their own remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and created stop-motion videos based on the camp’s themes. View the campers’ ROVs. Watch their stop-motion films. See photos from the camp. Read More

ACERGoMRI ScienceResearch Stories RFP IV Update: Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER) Researcher John Valentine

The ACER objectives are: To assess how coastal ecosystem structure, as measured by multiple estimates of biodiversity, and functioning (its provision of valuable processes and services) have been affected by differential exposure to Deepwater Horizon oiling. To determine how the biodiversity of coastal ecosystems can buffer resistance and recovery from oiling. To determine the conditions of Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Polzin: Topography of Gulf of Mexico Influences Mixing and Distribution of Oil and Gas Researcher Kurt Polzin

The Understanding How the Complex Topography of the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Influences Water-column Mixing Processes and the Vertical and Horizontal Distribution of Oil and Gas after a Blowout project is lead by Kurt Polzin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. An integrated, multi-platform, observational field effort is proposed that makes direct observations of turbulent mixing in Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Shay: 3D Gulf Circulation and Biogeochemical Processes – Profiling Float & Ocean Model Researcher Lynn IK. Nick

The Three-Dimensional Gulf Circulation and Biogeochemical Processes Unveiled by State-of-the-Art Profiling Float Technology and Data Assimilative Ocean Models project is lead by Lynn K. (Nick) Shay, University of Miami. The overarching goal of this proposed research is to build a rapid response capability that can be deployed in the event of an oil spill. The Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Miller: Toxicological Properties of Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Deepwater Horizon Spill Researcher Jeffrey Wickliffe

  The Toxicological Properties of Specific Aromatic Hydrocarbons Isolated from Fresh and Aged Crude Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Spill project is lead by Charles Miller, Tulane University. The scientific goal of this research is to elucidate the highly toxic compounds within fresh and weathered crude oil from the MC252 oil spill. The hypothesis of Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Raghavan: Food-Grade Dispersants as Highly Efficient/Safe Materials for Oil Spills Researcher Srinivasa R. Raghavan

  The Molecular Engineering of Food-Grade Dispersants as Highly Efficient and Safe Materials for the Treatment of Oil Spills project is lead by P.I. Srinivasa R. Raghavan, University of Maryland The goal is to engineer a new class of dispersants that combine environmental safety and high efficiency. By avoiding the synthetic components in current dispersants Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Kourafalou: Influence of River-Induced Fronts on Hydrocarbon Transport Research Villy Kourafalou

  The Influence of river induced fronts on hydrocarbon transport project is lead by P.I. Villy Kourafalou, University of Miami. The overarching study objective is to understand, quantify and be able to predict the role of river plume induced fronts and circulation regimes in enhancing, modifying or altering the transport pathways of hydrocarbons, in the Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Meneveau: Transport & Fate of Oil in the Upper Ocean Researcher Charles Meneveau

  The Transport and fate of oil in the upper ocean: Studying and modeling multi-scale physical dispersion mechanisms and remediation strategies using Large Eddy Simulation project is lead by P.I. Charles Meneveau, Johns Hopkins University. In the aftermaths of deep water blowouts, oil plumes rise through and interact with various layers of the ocean and Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Di Iorio: Vertical Upwelling & Bottom-Boundary Layer Dispersal at a Natural Seep Site Researcher Daniela Di Iorio

  The Vertical upwelling and bottom-boundary layer dispersal at a natural seep site project is lead by P.I. Daniela Di Iorio, University of Georgia. The physical understanding of the vertical upwelling velocity and bottom boundary layer dispersal of a hydrocarbon seep in the Gulf of Mexico is extremely limited due to paucity of direct long-term Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Knap: Deep-sea Risk Assessment & Species Sensitivity Researcher Anthony Hayden Knap

  The Deep-sea Risk Assessment and species sensitivity to WAF, CEWAF and Dispersant project is lead by P.I. Anthony Hayden Knap, Texas A&M University. Subsea injection of dispersants offers some significant benefits compared to the application of dispersants on the sea surface, for example access to the freshest and non-emulsified oil in the high turbulence environment, Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Campiglia: Spectroscopy for Specific Isomer Determination of Petroleum Oil Spills Research Andres D. Campiglia

The A Combined Analytical and Synthetic Approach Based on Line Narrowing Spectroscopy for Specific Isomer Determination of Petroleum Oil Spills project is lead by P.I. Andres D. Campiglia, University of Central Florida. This proposal tackles a different aspect of PAHs analysis as it focuses on detection and characterization of higher-molecular weight PAHs (HMW-PAHs), i.e. PAHs with Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Conrad: Role of Microbial Motility for Degradation of Dispersed Oil Jacinta C. Conrad

  The Role of Microbial Motility for Degradation of Dispersed Oil project is lead by P.I. Jacinta C. Conrad, University of Houston. Microbial biodegradation processes are thought to have played a substantial role in the surprisingly swift disappearance of oil and gas released into the Gulf of Mexico after the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon MC252 blowout. Read More

GoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesRFP-V Project Summary Videos RFP-V Burd: Oil-Marine Snow-Mineral Aggregate Interactions and Sedimentation Researcher Adrian Burd

The Oil-Marine Snow-Mineral Aggregate Interactions and Sedimentation during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill project is lead by P.I. Adrian Burd, University of Georgia. The goal of this project will be to use coagulation theory to develop a predictive, mechanistic model for how oil coagulates with particulate material in the marine environment. There is strong Read More

CRGCGoMRI StudentsPeople Grad Student Parks Assesses How Disasters and Social Factors Influence Human Health Vanessa inside a helicopter at a heliport in Cut Off, LA, where offshore oil workers commute to and from work. (Provided by Vanessa Parks)

A person’s socioeconomic position can influence their health and well-being, and disasters can place additional strain on those whose health and well-being are already compromised. Vanessa Parks compiles and analyzes data on Gulf Coast communities that explores how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected mental and physical health and how social factors contributed to post-disaster health outcomes. “I Read More

GoMRI ScienceLADC-GEMMResearch Stories LADC-GEMM Undergraduate Student Reflects on Summer Cruise Experience 4532

Matt Firneno recently completed Bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics at the University of New Orleans. He participated in LADC-GEMM’s recent research cruise aboard R/V Pelican, where he assisted learned about different forms of data acquisition and real-time data analysis. Learn more about his research and experiences here.

CWCGoMRI StudentsPeople CWC Blog Series Features Undergraduate Interns 4528

Since 2011, LUMCON has been host to groups of undergraduate students taking part in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program. The REU Program helps student interns interested in scientific careers gain experience conducting research in the field. CWC will profile these students and their research through a series of blog and social media posts. Read More