Have you ever wondered how scientists ‘see’ under water? The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative is pleased to announce a new Sea Grant publication about the technology scientists use to look at and study the deep ocean, specifically manned and unmanned vehicles.
Scientists have used remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and submarines, including human-occupied vehicles, to locate Deepwater Horizon oil and monitor its impacts below the water’s surface and on the seafloor.
Read Underwater Vehicles Used to Study Oil Spills to learn about how these underwater robotic devices work and how researchers have used them in the Gulf of Mexico. Included is a chart that gives the cost of use, type of use, advantages, and disadvantages for each of these technologies.
Read more about recent deep ocean research:
- Scientists to Revisit Wellhead Site in Legendary Research Submarine
- Grad Student Girard Uses High-Definition Imagery to Assess Post-Spill Coral Recovery
- Smithsonian Slideshow Features ECOGIG Deep-Sea Coral Research
- Seafloor Rescue – Universities Collaborate for Amazing Recovery of Downed AUV
The Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team synthesizes peer-reviewed science for a broad range of general audiences, particularly those who live and work across the Gulf Coast. Sea Grant offers oil-spill related public seminars across the United States.
Information about upcoming Sea Grant science seminars and recently-held events is available here. To receive email updates about seminars, publications, and the outreach team, click here.
************
GoMRI and the Sea Grant programs of the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Mississippi-Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas) have partnered to create an oil spill science outreach program.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is a 10-year independent research program established to study the effect, and the potential associated impact, of hydrocarbon releases on the environment and public health, as well as to develop improved spill mitigation, oil detection, characterization and remediation technologies. An independent and academic 20-member Research Board makes the funding and research direction decisions to ensure the intellectual quality, effectiveness and academic independence of the GoMRI research. All research data, findings and publications will be made publicly available. The program was established through a $500 million financial commitment from BP. For more information, visit https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
© Copyright 2010- 2018 Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) – All Rights Reserved. Redistribution is encouraged with acknowledgement to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). Please credit images and/or videos as done in each article. Questions? Contact web-content editor Nilde “Maggie” Dannreuther, Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University (maggied@ngi.msstate.edu).