CARTHE

Education and outreach products generated by the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbons in the Environment (CARTHE).

Lesson Plan (Grades 9-12): Go with the Flow – Designing Ocean Drifters

This fun and creative lesson plan teaches students how researchers use oceanographic instruments called drifters to study ocean currents and then has them design and build a drifter of their own. The lesson typically spans five class periods (three for building, one for presentation, and one for testing). The lesson plan includes background information, a Read More

Lesson Plan (Grades 6-12): Bay Drift – Tracking Ocean Pollution

This lesson plan teaches middle and high school students how ocean currents transport debris, spilled oil, and other pollutants through the ocean environment. The lesson uses real data collected during the Biscayne Bay Drift Card Study (Bay Drift), a citizen science study that used Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment Read More

How Grad Student Bodner Uses Theoretical Math to Add Turbulence to Transport Predictions 6595a

Predicting where oil will go can be one of the most challenging aspects of marine oil spill response. Following Deepwater Horizon, research showed that strong currents capable of transporting oil often appear along ocean fronts (the interface between river like-water masses that have different temperatures, salinities, or densities). However, our limited understanding about ocean front Read More

Smithsonian Highlights Technology that Tracks the Ocean’s Flow 6547

Many factors affect how the ocean moves, and it is especially difficult to know exactly how it will behave in a specific area, as was evident with challenges in predicting oil transport during Deepwater Horizon. The Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal published an article that describes tools scientists use to track currents on and just beneath the Read More

Grad Student Grossi Uses Artificial Intelligence to Map Ocean Flows 6538a

Our knowledge about ocean transport comes primarily from ocean circulation models that use field observations and theoretical motion equations to simulate ocean dynamics. Ocean models can depict large-scale circulation features accurately, but resolutions high enough to capture all scales of motion entail significant computational time and cost and are challenging or even impossible for most Read More

GoMRI-Sponsored Special Issue of Current: The Journal of Marine Education 5702

Outreach coordinators from Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) consortia partnered to produce a special issue of Current: The Journal of Marine Education, published by the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA). The GoMRI-sponsored special issue – titled “Special Issue Featuring the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative: Research Resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” Read More

Grad Student Lodise Deconstructs Drifter Velocities to Understand How Wind Influences Currents 6486a

Many ocean forecast models treat the upper 1 meter of the water column, which plays a central role in ocean material transport, as a single layer. However, recent research shows that currents act differently at various depths within this meter. The use of ocean drifters is the oldest way to measure currents, and recent design Read More

Grad Student Pearson Resolves Statistical Conflict in Submesoscale Ocean Processes 6480a

Ocean models that utilize surface drifter data can provide oil spill responders with important information about the floating oil’s direction and speed as it moves along the ocean surface. However, surface drifters, like the floating material they represent, tend to cluster along strong fronts and eddies. This clustering can result in important consequences for surface Read More

Video: Award-Winning Short “Drifting in the Gulf” 5194

“Drifting in the Gulf” is an entertaining, educational video about the process of designing new scientific equipment for studying ocean surface currents. Co-created by Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE) and Waterlust, the video features the CARTHE drifter designed by University of Miami scientists, who spent two years testing Read More

Dr. Rita Colwell Shares Her Journey to Inspire Women in Science 6320a

“I was not going to be stopped,” said Dr. Rita Colwell describing how she faced hurdles, many related to being a woman during her 60+ year science career, and blazed paths, including her being the first female director of the National Science Foundation. She spoke earnestly and enthusiastically to faculty, staff, and students gathered for Read More

Video: “Motion of the Ocean” Shows Technology Used to Study Currents 5081

Scientists completed four field experiments in the Gulf of Mexico, linking the dynamics of deep ocean, shelf, and coastal surface currents (where materials such as oil or debris naturally accumulate) in a way that has never been done before. So how did they do that? The team representing 30 universities used 2,000 custom-made, biodegradable, GPS-equipped Read More

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

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

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

Video: The Motion of the Ocean 4565

This video highlights the tools and techniques that modern researchers use to study ocean currents and develop more accurate ocean circulation models. Watch the video here.

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. The group recently completed the last of four field experiments that link the dynamics of deep ocean, shelf, Read More

Video: Infrared Video Documents Oil-Dispersant Interactions 4130

Nova Southeastern University researcher Alexander Soloviev and his team generated a short clip in infrared imagery demonstrating how crude and weathered oil slicks respond to dispersant application. Read the post here! Watch the video!

Scientists Use Oil Spill Research to Track Pollution in Biscayne Bay The CARTHE team is receiving data from 15 biodegradable, GPS-equipped drifters. This image shows the tracks after 24 hours. (Image by CARTHE)

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. Biscayne Bay near Miami, Read More

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

CARTHE and DROPPS Scientists Team Up for UT Summer Science Program 3163

The Dispersion Research on Oil: Physics and Plankton Studies (DROPPS) Consortium had another successful collaboration with the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE) for the UT Summer Science program! We taught 3rd-4th graders about how oil spill scientists sometimes use drift cards to study oil spills to see where Read More

Ten Outstanding Education Products Six Years After Deepwater Horizon 2912_sm

Communicating oil spill research is essential to improve society’s understanding about spills and their ability to respond to and mitigate them. The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) has been funding spill-related research since 2010. Here are ten outstanding education products and resources that GoMRI and its science community have developed to share what they Read More

LASER Focus Advances Knowledge of How Gulf of Mexico Water Moves 2758a_sm

The Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE) conducts unprecedented experiment to improve oil fate models. Predictions for decisions – our world relies on them, from daily weather to annual financial forecasts. Predictions, though, are only as good as the information that goes into making them. And those predictions carry Read More

CARTHE Blogs Document Researchers’ At-Sea Lifestyle 2427

Graduate student Nathan Laxague’s recent posts to the CARTHE blog describe the methods, experiences, and challenges of researchers working on the ongoing LASER expedition. You can read his entries here and here to keep up with the project’s development.   Excerpt from the CARTHE Blog:  “… Walton Smith is somewhere off the middle Keys, dressed to the nines with fancy Read More

CARTHE and RECOVER Participate in Women in Science Day Workshop women-in-science-day_2059

This past Saturday we had the pleasure of participating in the annual Exploring Marine Science Day for 6th-7th grade girls, organized by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE). We taught 50 girls from different Miami junior Read More

Grad Student Hamilton Hunts Oil Using Microbes Hamilton_2023a

Bryan Hamilton never planned to be a microbiologist, but when the opportunity arose to study microbes that produce biosurfactant in response to oil exposure, he was drawn in completely. His research investigated the potential connection between these microbes and natural surface slicks and if this connection could help scientists detect oil below the water’s surface. Read More

Professional Development Teacher Workshop Features GoMRI Research CARTHE_workshop_1599

Earlier this month, South Florida teachers attended the Center for the Integrated Modeling and Analysis of the Gulf Ecosystem (CARTHE)-hosted science visualization workshop at the University of Miami, intended to help create improved future resources for sharing science. The workshop featured CARTHE science, NOAA’s global drifter program, RECOVER consortium, University of Miami Rosenstiel School scienitists Read More

Young Scientist Visualizes Risk to Whales in an Oil Spill Scenario Alek with map of his research area

Alek stands next to a map of his research area, holding the drift cards he used in his oil spill study in front of a nautical chart of the Salish Sea. (Provided by Alek) Fueled by a passion for science and endangered species, Alek designed and executed a research project that involved scientists from eight Read More

Bob The Drifter Inspires Singapore Classroom to Conduct Oil Spill Research Experiment Students first created their drifter design on an iPad before constructing it in real life. (Provided by: Jenny Harter)

A fourth grade class at Singapore American School found Bob the Drifter and the CARTHE science group while researching ocean science and pollution online. CARTHE’s drifter experiments, GLAD and SCOPE, are helping scientists understand how ocean surface currents move pollutants such as oil. CARTHE’s visually-engaging experiments and their animated, data-gathering mascot “Bob” motivated these young students Read More

Scientists Coordinate Research with Responders in Santa Barbara Oil Spill Crews clean-up the oil using boom operations off the coast of Goleta, Calif., May 21, 2015. The clean-up operation for the spill began the evening of Tuesday May 19, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrea Anderson)

One of the most significant outcomes of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) has been the fostering of a multi-disciplinary collaborative academic community ready to put science into practice. Members of the GoMRI community have been cultivating relationships with emergency responders so that science gets to the right people at the right time. These Read More

Award-Winning Video Teaches Drone Technology for Oil Spill Research Drones used in oil spill reseearch

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative congratulates the CARTHE research team for their first place award-winning video that teaches Drone Technology for Oil Spill Research. Over 37,000 middle school students across twenty-one countries selected the winning ocean science research videos after a two-month evaluation of the top entries that best explained scientific results and significance. Read More

Grad Student Smith Keeps Surface Currents and Disaster Response on His Radar Conor (left) and University of Miami marine specialist Mark Graham (right) prepare to deploy a CTD to measure salinity and temperature profiles near the Deepwater Horizon site. Data from these measurements provide insight into the movement of the ocean surface. (Photo credit: Nathan Laxague)

After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, many Gulf residents wanted to know where the oil was going and how fast it would get there. Conor Smith is improving the accuracy and turn-around time of satellite-derived surface current velocity estimates for better ocean transport information. Conor is working toward a method that accurately interprets these velocities Read More

A Match Made in Florida: Citizens and Scientists Team Up for Research and Education 2138a

What do the Consortium for Advanced Research on Marine Mammal Health Assessment (CARTHE), the International SeaKeepers Society, and Fleet Miami have in common? Ocean research! Last September, CARTHE researchers from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School partnered with SeaKeepers and Fleet Miami to widen the reach of ocean and oil spill research in the local Read More

Grad Student Laxague is Making Waves Using Sea-surface Ripples to Detect Oil Nathan stands proudly in front of the data acquisitions system he set up inside the Surface Physics Experimental Catamaran (SPEC) during the 2013 Surfzone-Coastal Oil Pathways Experiment (SCOPE) in Destin, FL. (Photo credit: Tamay Özgökmen)

Nathan Laxague studies a small-scale subject matter that has potentially large-scale applications. Capillary waves – or ripples – on the ocean surface can indicate the presence of a film or oil slick on the water’s surface, making them “an important link in the chain of oil spill response.” Nathan is a physics Ph.D. student at Read More

NBA Player Makes Science the Star for Miami Youth CARTHE_NBAJones_2305a

NBA Champion James Jones took the stage for young fans this July, but not to talk about sports. Instead, his goal was to get kids excited about cutting-edge science happening in their home town. Over 40 kids participated in his week-long Crew 22 Training Camp hosted by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Read More

Lesson Plan: Monitoring Marine Oil Pollution: Using SAR and Optical Data to Detect and Track Surface Oil Envisat MERIS Full Resolution Level 1B image from 29-4-2010.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is now commonly used for operational oil spill monitoring. During major spills, SAR data from different satellites give an overview of the areas affected and provide information on the direction in which surface oil is drifting. SAR is also used to monitor illegal discharges from ship traffic or offshore operations. In Read More

Video: Gary Finch Outdoors CARTHE Drifters Field Trip Gary Finch Outdoors CARTHE Drifters Field Trip

Scientists from the University of Miami have been visiting our area for the last three weeks studying the movements of ocean currents along the coast in order to observe how they carry oil, fish larvae or toxins in the water. On this particular day, 7th grade science students from Episcopal Day School in Pensacola were Read More

Student Drifter Competition for Coastal Oil Experiment Has Cascading Wins 2444a

It was a tall order, but high school students rose to the challenge: they integrated physics, engineering, and scientific curiosity and created functional data-gathering drifters. They also became part of a scientific effort to improve predictions of how oil moves through coastal waters and onto shores. In December at Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, scientists deployed Read More

Video: Bob the Drifter – A Waterlust Film about Ocean Currents

Researchers studying the movement of ocean flows use a variety of tools and technologies to collect accurate data. Drifters are tools that report their location, speed, and in some cases water conditions as they are carried by ocean currents. The data collects by drifters can help improve models that predict the movement of objects or Read More

CARTHE and DEEP-C Inspire Future Scientists Left: 12-year old Kevin Telfer from Boston, MA, with the prototype drifter buoy he and a fellow science partner Harrison Reiter built and field tested for their science fair project titled, “Deployment of a Drifter Buoy in the Sudbury River: Prototype Design and Results.” (Photo by Brian Telfer) Right: High school sophomore Elizabeth Smithwick from Jacksonville, FL, collects soil samples along the St. Johns River for her science fair project titled, “The Isolation, Examination, and Comparison of Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria in the St. Johns River.” (Photo provided by Elizabeth Smithwick)

Scientists conducting GoMRI-funded oil spill research take their mission regarding society seriously: They employ cutting-edge technology to collect and analyze data using rigorous scientific parameters and publish their findings. But there are other ways these researchers define success, like working with students. When young students seek answers to scientific questions and contact them, these scientists Read More