Category Archives: GISR

GISR • GoMRI Students • People • Grad Student Young Studies Gulf Water at Its Most Basic Level young_2016a

Chemical engineer Jordan Young has found his happy place on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. He’s looking for changes in ocean acidity following the Deepwater Horizon spill. As the oil biologically degrades, some of it oxidizes to carbon dioxide and may increase acidification. The Earth’s oceans have maintained a relatively stable pH level Read More

CARTHE • Citizen Science • GISR • People • Teachers and Students • 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

GISR • GoMRI Students • People • Grad Student Christiansen’s Preemptive Research Enhances Galveston Bay Spill Response Dave Christiansen (left) and Garrett Kehoe (right) pose with their beloved but shambling boat trailer, which lost two of its four wheels during a data collection trip from Austin to Galveston Bay. (Photo credit: Matt Rayson)

David Christiansen is dedicated to investigating water movement and using those findings to improve local water systems. He got his start monitoring Galveston Bay’s complex flow patterns as a precautionary oil spill measure. Dave’s hard work has taught him innovative problem-solving and has been applied to real-world oil spill response. Dave was an Engineering master’s Read More

GISR • GoMRI Scientists • People • Teachers and Students • The Kids and the Cups – Teaching Oceanography Using Styrofoam OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Laura Spencer, a graduate student in Dr. Steven DiMarco’s lab at Texas A&M University, took cups from three classrooms with her on the Gulf Integrated Spill Research Tracer cruise (G03) in the Gulf of Mexico. The cups were lowered in the water on one of the CTD casts. When the CDT was raised, the 5 Read More

Citizen Science • GISR • People • Boaters, Vacationers, and Beach Lovers Report Drift Cards for Oil-Spill Research 2130a

Summer fun check list: 1. enjoy the sun, sand, and surf along the beautiful Gulf of Mexico; 2. track ocean currents; and 3. win a prize. Track ocean currents? Win a prize? Yes! Adults and children from Florida to Texas are calling, emailing, and going online to report little yellow cards they find in the Read More

Citizen Science • GISR • GoMRI Science • People • Research Stories • Scientists Seek Public Help in Oil Spill Research 2122a

You may already be a winner! That is what folks will read on posters across the Gulf region if they find and report bright yellow cards drifting in Gulf waters or washed up on beaches.  This small biodegradable card is part of a larger research effort to better understand Gulf currents and improve future oil Read More