Monthly Archives: September 2017

Classroom MaterialsFact SheetsSea Grant Sea Grant Publication Summarizes Where Deepwater Horizon Oil Went Where did the oil go?

The Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team released an informational publication that discusses the locations where approximate amounts of oil went after the Deepwater Horizon spill. The publication Deepwater Horizon: Where did the oil go? summarizes what researchers have discovered about where the spilled oil traveled and what processes carried it along its path. Included are response actions Read More

GoMRI ScientistsPeopleTeachers and Students RFP-V Researcher Dr. Sunshine Van Bael Hosts Workshops for Elementary and Middle School Aged Kids Dr. Van Bael talks with students during one of her summer workshops. Photo Credit: Sunshine Van Bael

Dr. Sunshine Van Bael, principal investigator of the RFP-V project Chemical Evolution and Plant-Microbe Degradation of Petroleum in Saline Marsh Plants and Soil, and her colleagues recently hosted a series of workshops in Louisiana for nearly 140 elementary and middle school-aged kids. The workshops were part of Dr. Van Bael’s outreach efforts to teach students Read More

Classroom MaterialsECOGIGFact SheetsGoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesSmithsonian Ocean Portal Smithsonian Features Research about Brittle Stars Helping Coral Recover from Oil Spill Brittle sea stars cling to deep sea coral. Photo Credit: ECOGIG

Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal recently released a new article in partnership with the Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf (ECOGIG) consortium called A Brittle Star May Be a Coral’s Best Friend. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, ECOGIG researchers began studying the impacts of oil on deep sea corals. They noticed a particular Read More

Audio-VideoCARTHEGoMRI ScienceResearch StoriesShort Clips (<15 Minutes) Influence of River Fronts on Oil Spill Transport (GOMRI) – Satellite-Drifters Study 4738

In April 2017, GoMRI researchers collaborated on a field experiment focused on better understanding how oil movement and transport is impacted by river fronts. Led by RFP-V investigator Dr. Villy Kourafalou (University of Miami (UM)) and Dr. Tamay Özgökmen (UM and principal investigator of the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Read More

CARTHEGoMRI StudentsPeople Grad Student Wang Quantifies Ocean Model Uncertainty to Improve Prediction Accuracy Shitao generates a visualization comparing satellite observational data to model simulations. (Photo by Suzhe Guan)

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 create uncertainty in the predictions. Shitao Wang quantifies the uncertainty of ocean models to gauge the reliability of oil fate predictions. “It’s like a weather prediction. Instead of saying whether or not it Read More

CRGCGoMRI StudentsPeople Get to Know CRGC Grad Student Patel 4594

Megha Patel is a social work Ph.D. student at Tulane University and a member of the Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities (CRGC)’s Community Action Planning and Resilience Building efforts. Learn more about her background and research interests here.

Citizen ScienceGoMRI ScienceRECOVERResearch Stories RECOVER Enlists Professional Anglers for Mahi Tagging Experiment RECOVER

This RECOVER Consortium experiment uses satellite tags attached to adult mahi to help determine if consortium experiments could be replicated in the wild. Experienced anglers can help increase the amount of fish researchers catch in a day and reduce stressful fight times on the line to ensure that the tagged fish are as healthy as Read More

CARTHECitizen SciencePeopleResearch Stories CARTHE Prepares for Year Two of Bay Drift Project CARTHE Consortium spent the day celebrating one successful year of the citizen science project #baydrift at Vizcaya museum and Gardens in Miami.

The Bay Drift Project is a citizen-science experiment that uses drift cards to help determine the origins of the trash that washes up on the Vizcaya Museum and Garden’s shoreline. CARTHE Consortium representatives and Vizcaya hosted an event to highlight results from the project’s first year and to prepare drift cards and identify goals for Read More