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 Environment (CARTHE)), the experiment featured satellites, drones, research vessels, and drifters working together to track how leaking oil from the former Taylor Energy Site interacts with the open ocean and the Mississippi River Delta, called the Mississippi-TaylorOcean Convergence Zone. Findings from the experiment are improving scientists’ ability to more accurately track transport and oil thickness near river fronts. The field study was led by WaterMapping LLC, who, with contributions from the University of South Florida and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, produced a video describing the experiment. Check it out below.
Investigating the effect of oil spills on the environment and public health.