The Coastal Waters Consortium’s Education and Outreach program translates research investigating the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on coastal ecosystems into understandable formats for all levels of society. The program facilitates interactions of students, teachers, adults and other community members with CWC Scientists through the following initiatives and programs:
For more information about the CWC visit http://cwc.lumcon.edu .
Learn how scientists are studying what happens to spilled oil and over time how it affects the environment.
A CPALMS perspective video by Catherine Carmichael.
Visitors to the Smithsonian Ocean Portal now have the opportunity to learn more 
about oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon. By using the Smithsonian’s newly released interactive tool on oil spill science, they can learn about cleanup efforts, dispersants, where the oil went, seafood safety, and the impacts on the Gulf.
The Portal team, in partnership with scientists funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), developed an interactive infographic, The Anatomy of an Oil Spill: Science from the Gulf of Mexico, to visualize the oil spill and describe the research underway in the Gulf.
Visitors can follow a story line from the beginning of the spill to the present, exploring the event and its impacts using information provided by GoMRI research findings.Explore this informative resource and see other GoMRI-related content on the Smithsonian Portal here. GoMRI and the Smithsonian have a partnership to enhance oil spill science content on the Ocean Portal website.
Did whale and dolphin populations change after the oil spill? Prior monitoring indicated that large numbers of these deep-diving marine mammals were living near the Deepwater Horizon site.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative recently awarded the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center – Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) consortium a grant to study endangered sperm whales, beaked whales, and dolphins to answer that and related questions.
LADC-GEMM Director Natalia Sidorovskaia with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette shared some thoughts about their project that will establish a precedent of continued acoustic monitoring data and provide regional stock population assessments.
“Changes in marine mammal distribution and abundance can impact and reflect the health of the entire deep-water ecosystem. Our research seeks to help us understand what may happen to marine mammals during and after events, such as oil spills or other environmental and man-made stressors, and help guide ocean management decisions about conservation, regulations, and mitigation.”
LADC-GEMM stands for Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center – Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling. Their study will provide relationships among short- and long-term marine mammal population variations with environmental factors such as natural and human-induced disasters, weather conditions, seasonal migration, industrial operational noise, and food supply.
The consortium pairs acoustical, oceanographic, and visual data collection with mathematical predictive modeling and integrated data analyses to understand patterns in species distribution, pollutants, and human activities. Sidorovskaia explains that their team is uniquely positioned to conduct Gulf marine mammal population studies and assess environmental impacts.
“We’ve conducted annual acoustic surveys of Gulf mammals since 2001. In 2007, we conducted a two-week survey in the oil spill vicinity. When the spill happened, we realized we were the only group that had baseline data about mammal activity there, so we returned in September 2010 funded by the NSF Rapid Grant and donated free ship time by Greenpeace. With the BP/Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative funding, we can continue our experimental observations for the next three years.”
Monitoring marine mammal sounds is important because they do everything acoustically, using “clicks” to communicate with each other and explore their environment.
“They send out a signal and it bounces off a target. They can figure out where the sea bottom is and determine if an object is a squid, a ship, or something else. Then they either can locate and grab it, ignore it, or get away from it.”
Using integrated passive acoustic monitoring, the team will record the unique sounds that the whales and dolphins make. Sidorovskaia said that the collected acoustic data also will contain a wealth of information about the ocean environment the whales inhabit. Their computer programs will decode this information and pair changes in marine mammal populations with environmental factors.
“We collect about 200,000 readings per second when recording acoustic events. We intend to take this tremendous amount of data and further develop our algorithms that allows us to distinguish the identity and number of young adults, females, and calves. From that, we will model future population development and anticipate increases and decreases in marine mammals that may help resource managers and responders be better prepared for stressors and perhaps reduce their effects.”
When a sperm whale produces a sound, it starts as a main pulse that goes out into the water. Some of the acoustic energy propagates throughout the whale’s body and then returns, reverberating off of an air sac in the back of the whale’s head like an “echo.” The intensity and timing of the echo is a function of the size of the whale’s head. Researchers use this data to determine size, life-stage, and gender – parameters that improve population prediction models.
Understanding marine mammals’ interactions with their food is an important component in studies about the larger ecosystem. Monitoring at deep depths provides data on the mammals and their prey.
“The mammals produce a unique signal before they capture food, allowing us to estimate how much food is there both up and down the food chain. We will look at the whole system and the connections between the oil spill, marine mammals, and lower trophic levels. A change in marine mammal distribution and abundance caused by environmental stresses provides insight into ocean ecosystem health since mammals are consumers at many trophic layers.”
The sensitive equilibrium among fish, mammal, and plankton populations is important for a healthy ocean. Sidorovskaia explains that marine mammals are sensitive to noise and if an area is acoustically noisy, such as from oil-spill recovery work or oil and gas drilling and exploration operations, the common expectation is that the animals will leave. However, that may not happen.
“The question is what if there is a lot of food present? If the food is spread out, the whales might leave. But what if their food is only in that particular area? Will they stay or leave for a short while and return when it’s quiet? The spill site was where the Japanese fleet fished for squid, suggesting it is an important foraging area for beaked whales. Our preliminary data points to beaked and sperm whales responding differently after the recovery work stopped and the area quieted. The data we will collect will help us separate factors which influence whaler behavior.”
The research team will compare different data collection technologies to find the most cost efficient and comprehensive integrated passive acoustic monitoring approach for improved future deep-water mammal studies. Technology must be designed with low power consumption for longer recording times at sea and low noise generation so that it does not interfere with recordings.
“Whales spend more of their day actively diving than on the surface and are very vocal in deep water, searching for food and communicating with the rest of the pod. One way to collect sound is by using acoustic receivers towed behind vessels, but they are close to the surface and can miss many deep-sea sounds. Recording in the deep ocean is difficult, expensive, and has other problems. We will compare autonomous surface vehicles for towing, bottom-moored buoys, and deep-diving gliders which we can remotely control and provide recommendations for improved data acquisition methods.”
To bring their research to the broader science community and the public, the team will incorporate their activities and findings into NOAA kiosks at science education centers, give presentations in schools and museums, and hold student competitions to build and operate small gliders and autonomous vehicles that are similar to modern technologies used in underwater acoustic exploration.
“We want children to understand and get interested in this type of science, showing them the amazing intelligence of dolphins and whales and their importance to the health of our oceans. We also want to reach their parents, some of whom might influence or perhaps make business and regulatory decisions. We want to work with other researchers to determine where to take the science of marine mammals. We all need a healthy marine environment – we are all interconnected.”
The LADC-GEMM consortium includes the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of New Orleans, the University of Southern Mississippi, Oregon State University, and several technology companies from the Gulf Coast states. For more LADC-GEMM program and people information, click here.
Watch a video about Sidorovskaia’s 2010 acoustic survey expedition below:
(Video Credit: Greenpeace USA)
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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- 2017 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).
Sarah transfers DNA samples from single-cell organisms in the lab at University of West Florida. (Photo credit: Richard Snyder)
To show how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted the Gulf of Mexico, Sarah Tominack is going back to basics.
She feels that for scientists to quickly identify the Gulf in distress, they must have a better picture of what “normal” looks like, particularly for microscopic single-celled organisms at the marine food web base called archaea.
Understanding these tiny creatures, which are at the whim of their environment because they do not have the ability to move, could provide additional insight about what happens when pollutants enter their world. “We really don’t know much about how they work or why they live where they live,” explains Sarah, so she is working to uncover their everyday dynamics.
Sarah is a GoMRI scholar working with Deep-C scientists at the University of West Florida (UWF). Here she describes her process and what she has discovered so far.
Her Path
Sarah collects sediment samples for DNA analysis on board the Florida Institute of Oceanography R/V Bellows. (Photo Credit: Richard Snyder)
Coming from a family of science-minded individuals, Sarah loved to explore the world around her. “Running through the woods as a kid, I was always interested in why I found certain critters where I found them,” says Sarah. “As time went on, I began to realize that everything was somehow related.” Understanding that all living things were linked gave her a thirst for knowledge in a variety of subjects. She went from class to class, loving every new subject more than the last, culminating with an undergraduate degree from the University of North Alabama in environmental biology with two minors—chemistry and Spanish—because she could not make up her mind which subject she enjoyed most. Always at the top of her list, however, was seeking information about relationships in nature.
Sarah’s graduation in December of 2012 coincided perfectly with the opportunity to join Wade Jeffrey and Richard Snyder at UWF’s Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation. The pair were co-Principle Investigators on a Deep-C research project seeking to establish baseline information on microbial and biogeochemical processes in the northeastern Gulf. The prospect of working with biologists, chemists, and ecologists to better understand the marine environment was a perfect fit for her interests.
Her Work
Sarah describes the importance of microbes like archaea using a pyramid analogy. As the base of the pyramid, the microbial world’s structure, stability, and function affects every life level above it—even humans. With this in mind, her particular research does not focus on oil’s impacts on microbes, but on understanding their system when it is healthy. “If we do not have a good characterization of the dynamics of microbial populations before a catastrophe,” explains Sarah, “we cannot predict what will happen during and after a catastrophe.”
Sarah processes samples for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of Archea DNA sequences. (Photo credit: Richard Snyder)
Sarah joined six research expeditions to collect data. She went out in different seasons, tracing the same path three days in a row each trip. Her team deployed equipment that obtained samples while measuring temperature, salinity, and oxygen levels. Back in the lab, Sarah extracted the archaea from the samples and used bioinformatics—the computational side of DNA analysis—to learn about how the different species of archaea relate to one another and how natural fluctuations in the Gulf impact their life cycle.
She is finding that archaea populations living in the nearshore coastal waters and deep waters (below 100 meters) stay fairly stable throughout the seasons. However, archaea living near the water surface of the open Gulf disappear during the hot summer months. She hypothesizes that because the tiny creatures cannot swim, they die out from starvation as brilliant blue offshore surface water that is low in nutrients takes over the continental shelf. Then, the population reestablishes itself in the winter months when the water cools and archaea churn up from the bottom as the water layers naturally mix again.
Her Learning
Sarah says working with Deep-C has improved her as a scientist on every level. Not only has she become comfortable with collaborative efforts between different disciplines, but also she has learned how to present her findings to other researchers. Conferences provided opportunities to share her research via talks and posters and to network with other scientists in related fields. She says it is just as important to discuss failures as successes in these instances, because “you never know who will help you solve the problem.”
Sarah found the Student Symposium hosted by Deep-C particularly meaningful, giving her a chance to practice her presentation skills in front of friendly faces. In addition, the many opportunities provided to interact with senior scientists helped her become comfortable picking their brains. Calling it an “irreplaceable experience,” Sarah says, “It was set up in a way that I could ask all of the questions I never knew I had.” Instead of finding senior scientists intimidating, she discovered that they were more than willing to lend an ear—or a hand.
Her Future
Sarah operates the computer station for oceanographic data and water column sample collection on board the Florida Institute of Oceanography R/V Bellows. (Photo credit: Richard Snyder)
Sarah just completed her master’s degree in biology. Before pursuing a Ph.D., she wants to experience more of the world. To that end, she has committed to spend a year working with Habitat for Humanity through the AmeriCorps program. “I am ready to broaden my horizons as a person and gain new perspectives as a scientist in the community,” she explains. In the spring, Sarah will also teach an undergraduate course in Aquatic Botany at UWF.
Praise for Sarah
Sarah’s advisors, UWF biologists Richard Snyder and Wade Jeffrey describe her as highly motivated, enthusiastic, dedicated, and competent. Snyder recalls that Sarah was very hard on herself in the beginning of her graduate program, concerned that she would not be able to learn shipboard collection procedures and that seasickness might incapacitate her. “As it turns out, she was one of few that did not get sick and quickly became the reliable ‘go to’ person on board,” he remembers. “She ended up being one of our very best in the scientific crew.”
Sarah Tominack shares her research at the GOMRI Oil Spill Research Conference Mobile, Alabama in January 2014. (Photo credit: Richard Synder)
Sarah’s mastery of molecular biology lab processes quickly became apparent on shore as well. She took the lead, learning computer routines for DNA sequence data processing and analysis and then teaching it to other students. Snyder said, “By her own initiative, she became the in-house expert on not only the bioinformatics tools needed, but also the management, plotting, and analysis of oceanographic data and multivariate statistical analysis—no small feats in themselves!” Jeffrey concurs, “She showed great initiative in taking on much of the computer work and bioinformatics required of our projects.”
Though Sarah’s advisors are excited for her as she goes off to her next adventure, they will miss her greatly. Snyder summed up what a great asset she has been, saying that in his eyes, Sarah is a “master’s student with Ph.D. level competence.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Sarah and their important contributions. The GoMRI Scholars Program recognizes graduate students whose work focuses on GoMRI-funded projects and builds community for the next generation of ocean science professionals.
(Photo credits: Richard Snyder)
Visit the Deep-C website to learn more about their work.
Richard Dannenberg on the R/V Falcor during an ROV dive to study Gulf coral beds. (Image credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute)
Deep below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico live vast canyons of coral. Recent news reports suggest that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have impacted the health of these corals.
To find out, Richard Dannenberg is delving into their world, looking at the bacteria that live with the coral for clues about that potential damage. He explains, “If we can get a sense of which bacteria are important and what their roles in the ecosystem are, we can use this to assess some effects of oil spills that might not be apparent from visual inspection of the corals.”
Rich is a GoMRI scholar with ECOGIG, working towards his Ph.D. in biology at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). He talks about the road that led him to the bottom of the Gulf and where he hopes it will lead.
His Path
Rich became interested in the deep sea during an undergraduate bioorganic chemistry course. The combination of a group assignment examining the life forms around hydrothermal vents pouring hot, mineral-rich fluids from beneath the seafloor and an in-class viewing of The Blue Planet—a mini-series detailing our oceans’ natural history—changed his life. “I was instantly hooked,” he recalls. “I knew that I could happily study the deep sea for the rest of my life.”
ROV pilot Toshi Mikagawa (center), and Samantha Berlet (right) wear 3D glasses to view live footage of coral beds deep beneath the Gulf. (Photo provided by Rich Dannenberg)
At first, his desires were no more specific than deep-sea research. But while touring graduate programs, he visited Dr. Chuck Fisher, a biologist at PSU and a co-Principal Investigator studying corals as part of the ECOGIG’s oil spill research project. Rich talked with the Fisher lab team about their work and found himself intrigued by how deep-sea corals managed to get enough energy without the sun-dependent algae that shallow-water corals use. Although he considered other graduate programs, he could not get the possibility of conducting coral research out of his mind.
Rich became involved with ECOGIG in his first year of his doctoral program at PSU, joining an expedition to look at long-term effects of the oil spill. He was the only graduate student chosen to help Fisher collect underwater imagery of deep-water coral beds on that mission. Rich describes this introduction to field research as “a great learning experience and a lot of work, but a lot of fun too.”
His Work
Rich records data about the phenotypes of black corals collected in the Gulf. (Photo provided by Rich Dannenberg)
It’s easy to tell if corals are dead, Rich said, but hard to know when they’re sick or damaged other than finding dead polyps on them. The goal is to better understand the health of the broader environment by examining changes in the surrounding bacterial community. Doing so could uncover valuable ways to assess coral damage in its earliest stages, which could possibly lead to a reversal of the process. But that is no easy task either as Rich explains, “We currently know next-to-nothing about the functions of bacterial communities in deep-sea corals.”
To bridge that knowledge gap, Rich is conducting both field and lab studies on two groups of corals. For one group, the Paramuricea coral, he does not collect samples. Instead he leaves those corals on the seafloor, and each year, Rich and his team return to photograph and monitor their condition, being careful to not touch them. He collected four colonies of the other coral group, Leiopathes, from the Mississippi Canyon and Atwater Valley in the Gulf and brought them back to the lab for live study.
After acclimating the coral to the lab environment, he cut them into smaller fragments and put each fragment in a tube with different concentrations of either oil, dispersant, both, or neither to see how the coral responded to contaminants. Rich then analyzed the bacteria on the coral, detailing each bacterium’s entire genetic information to identify differences at the gene-level. This process shows how the bacterial community reacts to the different treatments, giving insight about impacts to the corals’ health. “If I see a consistent group of bacteria present within all samples from this species,” he explains, “I can start to look at other species and other locations to see how specific the coral-bacterial associations are.”
His Learning
Penn State students Richard Dannenberg and Samantha Berlet work on either side of ROV pilot Jamie Sherwood during an ROV dive aboard the R/V Falcor. (Image credit: Debbie Nail Meyer)
Rich has been most impressed with the ECOGIG scientists’ profound sense of community, especially among the small group of deep-sea researchers. His first expedition was especially eye-opening in that regard. “Collaboration is everywhere, especially on cruises,” he said, “there is absolutely no way any individual researcher would get their work done without at least some help from those around them.” On board, he had the opportunity to assist world famous researchers with their work, but there was the flip side of that as well, “Having a ship full of researchers meant that whenever I needed help with something, I could reliably count on that help magically appearing.”
That spirit of collaboration went beyond field work, as Rich explained, “At virtually every scientific gathering, I’ve been surprised by how many good ideas come from just talking about my work to other scientists. And that sounds pretty obvious, since that’s why these scientific gatherings happen in the first place, but to me the degree to which interacting with others can foster a positive change in my thinking and research was always surprising.”
Rich has also learned the importance of doing work you love, “If you try to force an interest in something you’ll end up losing motivation very quickly, but passion can carry you through almost anything, giving you the willpower to work harder than you ever thought you could.”
His Future
Rich is on the fence about where he will wind up after completing his Ph.D. While he enjoys academia’s balance of research and teaching, he is also interested in a government position or working in industry. Until he decides, his focus remains on data collection and on his upcoming wedding.
Praise for Richard
Rich’s advisors, Chuck Fisher and Iliana Baums of PSU, expressed confidence that his research will play an important role in helping scientists understand how deep-water corals respond to stress. “His project is quite ambitious,” Baums said and noted the large scale of Rich’s study, “starting with a description of the yet uncharacterized microbiome of deep sea corals and then investigating how this population of microbes changes in response to oil and dispersant exposure.” Fisher and Baums explained that while this topic has received little attention in the past, it has become increasingly clear that single-celled organisms living near the coral play an important role in determining the health and resilience of the entire community.
Fisher added that much of the project’s success is due to Rich’s adaptability. “Rich has overcome a number of unexpected and rather major challenges while developing his methods and is now generating very interesting data on this cutting-edge subject.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Richard Dannenberg and their important contributions. The GoMRI Scholars Program recognizes graduate students whose work focuses on GoMRI-funded projects and builds community for the next generation of ocean science professionals.
Visit the ECOGIG website to learn more about their work.
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This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to theEcosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf (ECOGIG) consortium.
The 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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
The Coastal Waters Consortium (CWC) came together in early 2012 to assess the chemical evolution, biological degradation, and environmental stresses of petroleum and dispersant within Gulf of Mexico coastal and shelf ecosystems. CWC research and education and outreach programs are funded for 3 years by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was formed in May 2010 when BP committed $500 million over a 10-year period to create a broad independent research program to be conducted at research institutions primarily in the US Gulf Coast States. The mission of GoMRI is to investigate the impacts of the oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and affected coastal States in a broad context of improving fundamental understanding of the dynamics of such events and their environmental stresses and public health implications. GoMRI will also develop improved spill mitigation, oil and gas detection, characterization and remediation technologies.
Maria Vozzo grades oyster larvae at the LA Sea Grant oyster hatchery. Here, she filters out smaller, younger larvae and collects larger ones ready to settle into spat. Two weeks later, Maria counted the spat that had grown on the tiles and placed the tiles in predator exclusion cages in the field. (Photo credit: Stephanie Grodeska)
Maria Vozzo’s strong interest in Deepwater Horizon research led her from North Carolina to Louisiana to study the oil’s effects on local oysters.
Her work has a wide scope, from the oyster’s environmental conditions to their cellular responses. Maria’s creative adaptation of commercial oyster equipment for her research may also improve them for fisherman’s use.
Maria is a master’s student in Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University (LSU) and a GoMRI Scholar with Coastal Waters Consortium (CWC).
Her Path
The great outdoors sparked Maria’s interest in science. As a child, she attended science-oriented camps as a way to get outside and then moved on to field ecology courses in college. When the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred, Maria knew that the impacts could be huge. She searched for ways to get involved, even as a volunteer, but found nothing. After graduating from the University of North Carolina (UNC) – Chapel Hill, she assisted a large oyster restoration project at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, sparking her interest in oyster research.
When Maria began exploring graduate schools, she found her way back to oil spill research. She contacted ecology professor Dr. Ken Brown after a friend recommended looking into LSU. Dr. Brown and his team had just applied for the CWC grant, and he needed a student. “I tried so hard to find opportunities down here, and it didn’t work out,” recalls Maria. “But now, here I am in Louisiana a few years later working on the project I became so interested in two years ago.”
Her Work
Maria Vozzo traveled each of the four Barataria Bay study sites – Hackberry Bay, Bay Jimmy, Grand Isle, and Grand Terre – during each field day. (Photo credit: Annette Hebert)
Oysters are important to Louisiana’s economy and environment. They support a large industry and provide marine habitat, filter water and stabilize shorelines. While oysters are generally tolerant, Maria explains that oil could compromise their long-term health and sustainability and decrease reef functions. After the oil spill, she had many of the same questions as locals about impacts on oyster reproduction and growth and on marine life living in oyster reefs. Maria’s research is helping to find answers.
Changes in recruitment, which describes the number of young oysters that settle in an area, may indicate if oil deters larvae from their usual sites, causing a decline in population density. Maria explains, “If they’re not settling and growing, then that’s not good for us or the oyster reefs.” Once larvae settle on a hard surface, they stay there permanently and are known as “spat” until adulthood. To monitor settlement success, she deploys cement tiles at oiled and unoiled sites in Barataria Bay, retrieves them monthly and records the number of settled spat.
Unexpected results led Maria to consider other factors that might affect oyster recruitment. “In 2012, there was no detectable recruitment difference between the oiled and unoiled sites, suggesting that oil presence had little effect. However, higher rainfall and flooding in early 2013 caused lower salinity at all sites and only unoiled sites experienced recruitment.” She hypothesized that simultaneous stressors such as low salinity and lingering oil might be influencing recruitment. Maria conducted lab experiments assessing spat cellular health under various levels of salinity, oil and sediment and found that all oil treatments weakened lysosomes – the cell structures that process nutrients and destroy waste.
Maria Vozzo (left) and intern Mitch Bogran (right) place recruitment tiles at Bay Jimmy. They collected the tiles one month later to quantify oyster recruitment. (Photo credit: Carmen Bray)
Maria realized that reef dwellers who feed on oyster spat, such as blue crabs, mud crabs and certain small fish, might also be affecting her results; so, she devised a clever way to determine their impact on recruitment. Knowing that fisherman use cages to protect oysters from predators, she built her own cages with different sized mesh openings, placed cement tiles with spat inside, and then deployed them at the study sites. She also used exposed tiles without cages. With assistance from Dr. John Supan at Louisiana Sea Grant’s Grand Isle oyster hatchery, Maria was able to “place tiles pre-set with spat and ignore other environmental factors that influence spat recruitment, such as oil or salinity, and then focus on predation.” She found that all cages deterred predators, allowing for approximately 50% or higher spat survival, while exposed tiles experienced almost 100% predation. “A lot of work goes into designing cages that exclude predators but still allow oysters to grow to harvestable sizes,” said Maria. “I hope this study can improve oyster cages.”
Maria’s results demonstrate the complexity of uncovering oil impacts. Her cage experiment suggests that salinity and predation may have more long-term impacts on oysters than oil; however, her lab experiments showed that short-term effects of oil contamination can be detrimental to spat health. Because of the later, Maria defended in her thesis that oil spill clean-up should be a priority to maintain healthy oyster populations.
Her Learning
Maria Vozzo (left) and Jenessa Kay (right) place recruitment tiles and commensal bags (used to collect the commensal reef communities at each site) at Grand Isle. (Photo credit: Bridget Rogers)
Maria had never worked on such an extensive project before, so she was delighted to experience the camaraderie among CWC scientists firsthand, “People were so willing to share their research and ask me about mine and bounce around ideas. I learned a lot about collaboration and communicating science.”
Maria feels that she is a more competent scientist, “I got to do a lot of field work and I’m more confident in designing a research project now.” She also learned how to solve problems and deal with less-than-ideal conditions. “A lot went wrong last year—salinity was really low and everything I planned was not going well. I had to figure out an alternative and work with the data I was able to collect. My biggest realization was ‘You know what? That’s data. It’s data in itself.’ I can’t control the weather or the bay’s currents. You have to do your best, get the data you can and see what you get at the end of it.”
CWC’s support of its student researchers means a lot to Maria. Recalling a recognition luncheon with scientists and administrators, she said, “Everyone was so supportive and appreciative of the work we’d done. They eagerly asked us questions about our work, and we enjoyed talking about it. It helped us refocus our energy on this project.” Maria also credits her success to her lab and the undergraduate volunteers she worked with, “They gave so much of their time and developed projects that enhanced our understanding. We wouldn’t have accomplished nearly as much without them.”
Her Future
Jenessa Kay (left), Maria Vozzo (center), and intern Bridget Rogers (right) collect recruitment tiles and commensal bags at Grand Terre in southeast Barataria Bay. (Photo credit: Annette Hebert)
Maria recently completed her thesis detailing her long-term study of Barataria Bay oyster recruitment and her predator exclusion study and is now preparing to publish results in scientific journals. She’s also applying to Ph.D. programs in Australia, where she will soon be living, and has found that GoMRI scientists were more than happy to share contacts and give her advice before she departs. Maria hopes that her experiences will help her transition into other beneficial, rewarding and exciting work.
Praise for Maria
Dr. Kenneth Brown recognizes Maria as a skilled and hard-working student who has made valuable contributions to the CWC project. Brown said that while Maria was working on her thesis she took on many responsibilities including the team’s sampling work, collaborating with her fellow research assistants, supervising a small army of biology undergraduates and teaching a lab. “Having Maria on the team really helped get the work done,” said Brown.
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Maria Vozzo and their important contributions. TheGoMRI Scholars Program recognizes graduate students whose work focuses on GoMRI-funded projects and builds community for the next generation of ocean science professionals.
Visit the CWC website to learn more about their work.
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This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to theCoastal Waters Consortium (CWC). The 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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
Alex Harper collects seawater samples from CTD Rosette Niskin bottles aboard R/V Weatherbird II. (Photo credit: Natalie Geyers)
Alexandra Harper, a passionate environmental advocate, is using her oceanography expertise to help “society better balance human need with ecological health.”
She is researching the potential relationship between the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and mercury levels in Gulf of Mexico fishes. Because rises in methyl mercury levels in fish increase chances of these toxins making their way into human diets, Alex hopes to advance scientific knowledge to inform future consumption warnings and environmental policies.
Alex is a Chemical Oceanography Ph.D. student at Florida State University (FSU) and is a GoMRI scholar with Deep-C. She shares her path of advocacy and research and her hopes for the future.
Her Path
Alex’s interest in environmental health began during her childhood in the Florida panhandle. Local groundwater quality was deteriorating because of faulty waste disposal and poor land management, practices that could eventually destroy the home she lovingly describes as “a watery wilderness marked by hundreds of crystal-clear freshwater springs and prehistoric cypress trees.” Seeing this first-hand has fueled her “lifelong commitment to protecting, conserving, and restoring our natural world.”
Alex Harper collects seawater samples from CTD Rosette Niskin bottles aboard R/V Weatherbird II. (Photo credit: Natalie Geyers)
However, Alex’s fight for the environment did not begin with the sciences. As a young college graduate, her early profession focused on social change to reshape and restore environmental land ethics. She interned for the U.S. Congress, first with her local Tallahassee congressman and then for Senator John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) press office. After a series of political and environmental campaigns, Alex became disillusioned with the adversarial nature of political and legal arenas and returned to school to study oceanography and strengthen her analytical and field skills. To support herself, she worked part time sampling storm water for a local ecologist. Alex now spends the majority of her time in a geochemistry lab as a doctoral student and the more she learns, the more her environmental concerns grow. She remains active in local clean water initiatives as she volunteers with Florida’s Water and Land Legacy Campaign.
Alex says that her research on mercury in the marine environment was “the result of pure opportunity.” A United States Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Center researcher affiliated with FSU’s Oceanography Department had an opening for a graduate research intern to work with its new mercury analyzer. Meanwhile, one of Dr. Jeff Chanton’s Ph.D. students moved into a postdoc position, leaving behind enough fish samples for a rigorous mercury study. Alex had recently entered the FSU masters’ program in Environmental Science under Chanton, and he felt she was the perfect fit for the USGS lab vacancy.
Her Work
Alex Harper transports bottles of collected seawater samples across a crowded laboratory on the R/V Weatherbird II. The science crew included researchers from University of South Florida, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the USGS and the University of Delaware. (Photo credit: Natalie Geyers)
Public health concerns regarding mercury exposure and understanding the pathways of mercury accumulation into the food chain are important to Alex’s work. Mercury is a pervasive heavy metal in the environment and is most commonly found as methyl mercury in the fish we eat. She explains that the ecological and health effects of mercury pollution are “greatly exacerbated by environmental transformation of the less harmful forms of mercury to the extremely toxic methyl mercury compound.” With fish consumption advisories continuously expanding to include more fish species and stricter consumption guidelines, Alex says “there is no avoiding the sense of importance of such scientific pursuits, the results of which might help shape policy.”
When the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred, Alex knew she wanted to research its impacts on mercury concentrations in Gulf fish. Chanton became immediately involved with oil spill research as a Principle Investigator on several GoMRI Block Grants and later as a Co-PI with Deep-C and ECOGIG grants. And thus Alex’s opportunity – being at the right place and time and working with leading scientists – enabled her to make valuable contributions to Deep-C, tracing methyl mercury production and bioaccumulation to “understand the precise effect of the oil spill on mercury concentrations and isotope ratios in an array of northern Gulf of Mexico fish species.” Alex sees her research in the context of the larger picture, “In order to restore the Gulf and protect it from future spills, we must first understand the impacts of Deepwater Horizon.”
Her Learning
Alex is extremely grateful for the foundational work that Deep-C and GoMRI have given her, “The research cruises have allowed me to acquire an array of field skills, from formulating cruise plans to sampling techniques to the daily operations. These have been experiences of a lifetime!” Alex has also honed her communication skills by participating at Deep-C all-hands meetings and annual Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science conferences, “I now have ample experience preparing and presenting research presentations and posters which is something all scientists must do.” These meetings have also given her valuable opportunities to learn about and compare research of related fields and to discuss her work with other scientists.
Her Future
Alex Harper and Cheston Peterson, a Ph.D. Marine Biology student, show off an Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) while conducting research as part of the NOAA Gulf Shark Pupping and Nursery (GulfSPAN) Survey. (Photo credit: Dean Grubbs)
This fall, Alex will begin her third year as a chemical oceanography Ph.D. student. Her goal is to complete sample analyses by the end of summer so she can focus on data analyses, formulating results, and writing her dissertation. Her hypothesis is that spill-induced organic loading fosters conditions in the deep Gulf for increased methyl mercury production and accumulation into fish tissue. Through her work, Alex hopes to contribute to “the collective understanding of the Gulf’s mercury cycle and how future oil spills might impact fish mercury levels.”
Alex wants to work on water quality issues with a government or non-profit agency after graduation and “to devote [her] academic and professional pursuits to improving the conservation and management of the northern Gulf of Mexico.”
Praise for Alexandra Harper
Dr. Chanton and her co-advisor, Dr. William Landing, commend Alex’s enthusiasm, dedication, and determination as well as being bright, poised and personable. Chanton said, “I immediately recognized her potential,” seeing the value of her combined pursuit of law, policy, and environmental science. Chanton noted that Alex has flourished during her work at the USGS where she became the primary user and maintainer of the USGS mercury analyzer. Working with Landing, a mercury expert, Alex has “found an association between areas with high organic matter loading in seagrass beds and increased methyl mercury content in seagrass fish.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Alex Harper and their important contributions. TheGoMRI Scholars Program recognizes graduate students whose work focuses on GoMRI-funded projects and builds community for the next generation of ocean science professionals.
Visit the Deep-C website to learn more about their work.
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This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to theDeepsea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Deep-C) consortium. The 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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
Kait Frasier (L) and Rachel Gottlieb (R) with Scripps Institution of Oceanography onboard the Ocean Alliance’s R/V Odyssey in the Gulf of Mexico celebrate after finding dolphins. (Photo provided by Frasier)
Kait Frasier listens to Gulf marine mammals to estimate how many there are and find out if their numbers are changing after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Kait sees dolphins as a good species to study because “everyone can see and understand them, not just scientists.”
Kait, a Ph.D. student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California – San Diego, is a GoMRI Scholar with C-IMAGE. She shares her journey, work, and hopes for the future.
Her Path
Kait’s journey into dolphin research came as a pleasant surprise. Despite initially wanting to study deep sea worms, she interned with Dr. John Hildebrand in the underwater bioacoustics lab, using sound to locate whales and dolphins. Being a Biology major, she felt “this was way over my head,” but needing a job, she stuck with it. She thought that working with dolphins would be “a touchy-feely sort of science.” However, Kait soon discovered that the science was surprisingly heavily rooted in physics, math, and computing; so, she took more classes and learned programming.
On NOAA’s R/V Gordon Gunter, in the Gulf of Mexico, Kait Frasier dons a survival suit (referred to as a “Gumby Suit”). Researchers have to be able to get into it in under a minute, which takes some practice. (Photo provided by Frasier)
As her role evolved, Kait entered a Ph.D. program in marine mammal bioacoustics, something she “hadn’t even known was ‘a thing’ up until that point” and that “people only do in their dreams.” Not so bad. With this new focus, Kait said that “the combination of the insane beauty of the ocean and the challenges of the research” drew her into the field.
Her Work
As Kait completed her first year of grad school, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill happened. The “horrifying” images made her “not want to think about it.” However, her advisor urged her to focus her thesis on the Gulf of Mexico. So Kait soon found herself “afloat in the Gulf for months at a time,” using sounds to study dolphins “because we would really like to know how those populations are doing in the aftermath of the spill.”
“Dolphins make two main types of sounds,” explains Kait, “whistles are for communication, and echolocation clicks are very focused beams of sound that a dolphin generates in its forehead.” Depending on the time it takes to bounce off a target and return, those clicks can tell a dolphin the distance of its target and if it is a viable food source.
On the Ocean Alliance’s R/V Odyssey, a team of “super-tough women” help Kait Frasier (in background) deploy a hydrophone array. Using these underwater microphones, they listen for animal sounds and match them with the species that makes them. Doing this at sea allows them to find dolphins they hear and determine their type. (Photo provided by Frasier)
With about thirteen dolphin species in the Gulf, many living far offshore, it is expensive and time consuming to frequently deploy research vessels. So scientists record sounds with microphones that stay for extended periods on the ocean floor. Once they get the microphones back in the lab, the team decodes the sounds to get details about life down there. “Sound in the ocean is like light on land: It travels far and fast.”
What amazes Kait the most is releasing and recovering the microphones. The team deploys recording equipment in the middle of the Gulf in waters over a mile deep. A year later they return, send out a signal, and locate the instruments. “It’s always a minor miracle to me that this works,” says Kait.
Her Learning
While dolphins are “interesting, beautiful and intelligent in their own right,” Kait explains that this research is extremely important because within “the context of restoration and conservation, dolphins are indicators of ocean health.” She continues, “If dolphins are leaving historical habitats, declining in numbers, or sick, it’s a sign that there are much deeper problems in the marine environment that need attention.” One of her goals is to “help the field of acoustic marine mammal monitoring become more quantitative so that it can be used more widely, because I think it has a lot of potential.”
A different type of learning for Kait comes from being a C-IMAGE team member and part of the larger GoMRI science community. “In the research world, you always hear keynote speakers at big conferences saying vague things about collaboration and how more of it should happen. It’s easy to say, but not so easy to put into practice.” With C-IMAGE, she sees it happing. “Everyone involved works together towards a common goal” remarked Kait, and “is very kind and generous, constantly sharing information, ideas, and resources.”
This image was captured by Amanda Debich on a 2012 C-IMAGE cruise. Kait describes this pilot whale (a dolphin) as looking like an “alien torpedo.” (Photo provided by Frasier)
For her, “it’s been a model for how interdisciplinary science can really work and why it matters.” Kait believes that restoring and making the Gulf a healthier place is possible because “the success of the C-IMAGE research group lies in that it really feels like a team – it’s exciting and inspiring.” She feels that her experiences have contributed to her growth and accomplishments saying, “I couldn’t do this without all of the people in the Scripps Whale Acoustic Lab. I’m a tiny part of a group of really brilliant, hardworking people who make this research happen.”
Her Future
At the moment, Kait is concentrating on completing her degree. This project has shown her that she wants to continue doing research that involves “tackling big questions with big data.”
Praise for Kait
Kait Frasier secures gear on the Ocean Alliance’s R/V Odyssey last fall in the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo provided by Frasier)
Dr. John Hildebrand, her major professor, said that Kait has participated in NOAA-sponsored expeditions and has been the leader on several GoMRI-supported projects. He noted that while working on this project, “she has developed new approaches for estimating cetacean populations” and that he is “extremely pleased to be working with her.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Kait Frasier and their important contributions.
The GoMRI Scholars Program recognizes graduate students whose work focuses on GoMRI-funded projects and builds community for the next generation of ocean science professionals.
Visit the C-IMAGE web site to learn more about their work.
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Pairs of tropical spotted dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. (Picture by Steve Murawski)
This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to the Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE). The 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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
Susan poses with a large golden tilefish. (Photo credit: Liz Herdter)
Susan Snyder’s experiences researching fish bile have shown her an overwhelming truth: to solve complex problems, one simply cannot work alone.
To understand her findings, Susan has found that working with different scientists such as chemists, geologists and physicists is not only helpful, it is imperative.
Susan is a master’s student at the University of South Florida and is a GoMRI scholarwith C-IMAGE. Susan reflects on her ambitious entry into oil spill research and her hopes for the future.
Her Path.
Susan Snyder pursued her field with laser focus. Her interest in the environment began as a kid living on Lake Ontario where growing environmental problems, such as invasive species and algal blooms, led her to consider studying man-made environmental issues, particularly pollution. In her search, she found that professor Steve Murawski with the University of South Florida was leading a research project on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She emailed him and asked to be his student. Susan believes that “when you’re looking for a graduate school, you don’t choose a school; you choose the research you want to do and find the professor doing it.” To her delight, he responded, set up a meeting, and as a result, she began working with C-IMAGE. Reflecting on her journey from inexperienced undergrad to knowledgeable researcher, Susan contemplates how different her life might have been if she hadn’t pursued oil spill research. “I took a big risk emailing a professor in Florida asking if I could be his student,” she says, “and it all paid off!”
Her Work.
Susan Synder and Liz Herdter collect samples from a golden tilefish to measure PAH levels. (Photo credit: Steve Murawski)
Susan studies metabolites found in Gulf fish bile to learn if the fish ingested polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). “It’s kind of like if you were drinking alcohol, your body would metabolize those compounds into a marker that says you’ve had alcohol,” she explains. By studying fish bile metabolites, she can quantify the relative level of oil exposure. Susan and her fellow researchers are studying three species: red snapper, king snake eel, and golden tilefish, all of which live in or near the ocean floor. The team chose tilefish to look for oil exposure “because they dig burrows with their mouths and constantly ingest sediment,” explains Susan.
So far they are seeing that tilefish exhibit much higher PAH levels than the other two species. They are also seeing a decline in PAH levels over time for both red snapper and king snake eel but not for the tilefish. Seeing the study’s hypotheses confirmed was a magical moment for Susan. “We thought the tilefish would have higher levels,” she says, “but through my lab work and results, we actually saw that the levels in the golden tilefish were five to ten times higher than the other species. It was like ‘Wow! This is actually happening!’”
Susan demonstrates the size of the largest king snake eel caught (2.3 meters) during the study. (Photo credit: Steve Murawski)
Susan presented her work at the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference and the 2014 ASLO Ocean Sciences Meeting in Honolulu. While she loves going to conferences and having discussions with the researchers whose papers she had read, Susan said that one of her most treasured experiences was that, after presenting her own research, she became the person being asked questions.
Her Learning.
Susan is encountering a variety of marine life while on C-IMAGE research cruises collecting fish samples. Some interesting creatures often come up when the crew pulls in their catch. “Sometimes it’s a snapper and other times it’s a tiger shark or a manta ray,” explained Susan. “I love seeing what’s out there.”
Through her work with C-IMAGE, Susan realizes how important different sciences are to conducting successful research. While her degrees are in Biology, much of Susan’s current work relies heavily on chemistry and lab analyses. “I went to college to study fish and pollution, but what I do on a daily basis is often completely chemistry,” Susan says. “I’ve learned a lot of ‘how to be a chemist’ and the different quality assurance procedures that come with it.” With this experience, she says “I have learned how connected everything is. I need to understand the chemistry, the geology, and the physics to understand my results with the fish,” explained Susan. Speaking about the multiple issues surrounding oil impacts, she said, “You can’t work on your own. You can’t do a thesis or publish research just by being a biologist and talking to biologists. It all works together.”
Susan and Dr. Steve Murawski collect bile samples from a king snake eel gallbladder. (Photo credit: Liz Herdter)
Her Future.
Susan just finished her second year of graduate school. After she completes her master’s thesis on her fish bile research, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. working with C-IMAGE. Susan intends to expand her research to include other fish tissues (muscle, liver, fish mucus, etc.) for information about oil toxicokinetics and sublethal effects.
Regarding her success and personal growth, “I’m a first-time scientist. I came here straight from undergrad, and it has been so great working with GoMRI and C-IMAGE,” says Susan. “It’s had a big impression on me. I feel so connected to other scientists and to the bigger picture that it’s defined both my science and the way I’ve become a scientist.”
Praise for Susan Snyder.
Susan Snyder, Kristina Deak, and Elizabeth Herdter prepare for a day of fishing and sampling. (Photo credit: Steve Murawski)
Dr. Dana Wetzel said, “I am very proud of Susan—she has accomplished a lot and has been an extremely hard working student who quickly learned new techniques for research and adapted them for her work. I look forward to Susan’s discoveries!”
Dr. Steve Murawski, excited to continue his work with Susan, said, “I cannot say enough good things about her! She has apassion for learning and has devoted much of the past two years to honing her analytical chemistry and fish biology skills. She has blossomed into a very competent researcher.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Susan Snyder and their important contributions. The GoMRI Scholars Programrecognizes graduate students whose work focuses on GoMRI-funded projects and builds community for the next generation of ocean science professionals.
Visit the C-IMAGE web site to learn more about their work.
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This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to theCenter for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE). The 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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
The purpose of this site is to inform the public of current scientific research and education activities being conducted by the Coastal Waters Consortium which is funded through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.
Catherine Carmichael, a research associate at WHOI, shows teacher Shawn Walker that taking detailed notes is essential when collecting data. (Photo by Danielle Groenen)
Talk about compounding interest! Put together scientists and teachers who are passionate about their work with students who are eager to help with ongoing research and watch as excitement fuels student engagement, sparks career interest, and feeds enthusiasm of all. And as a side bonus, research is conducted more efficiently in both time and cost. That’s a pretty good return on investment.
Some Florida high school students have been given an opportunity to engage in hands-on research that is as meaningful as it is fun thanks to a new initiative called Project Gulf Oil Observations (GOO). Members of the research consortium Deep Sea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Deep-C) developed Project GOO which trains teachers and students to be effective citizen scientists and puts their new-found knowledge into use during visits to Gulf beaches in search of oil patties. Deep-C studies the long-term fate and effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in the Gulf.
Chris Reddy deconstructs the stereotypes associated with scientists. (Photo by Danielle Groenen)
“I cannot think of better vehicles to engage students than getting their hands dirty and learning how the world, in particular the ocean, works,” said Dr. Christopher Reddy, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine chemist and scientist with Deep-C.
In November 2013, Deep-C representatives Amelia Vaughan and Danielle Groenen accompanied Reddy and his research associate Catherine Carmichael to West Florida High School of Advanced Technology to work with Shawn Walker, a Marine Science teacher. The Deep-C group brought action-packed lesson plans that engaged and motivated students, which Walker very much appreciated: “Their hands-on lab activities, video presentations, relevant articles, and direct instructional approaches showed significant pre-planning and organizational skills. More important, was their genuine desire to make a positive and lasting impression on the students they are working with.” The next day, the team went into the field with Walker to train him in their methods.
Calling himself “very much an outsider to the Gulf,” Reddy was pleased to find Walker not only “talented and enthusiastic,” but also possessed of an extensive knowledge of the area’s geography and coastal processes, both invaluable to the project. Explaining the significance of Walker’s local knowledge base, Reddy said, “This will play a big role when we want to ‘tell a story’ on the oiled samples that Shawn and his students collect. Being able to say ‘there are more oiled-samples here because the tides/currents are stronger’ will provide a richer context to learning how spilled oil behaves.”
High school teacher Shawn Walker and Chris Reddy of WHOI are deep in discussion about sample analysis. (Photo by Danielle Groenen)
Walker also was very pleased, “Chris presented himself with humor to a classroom full of aspiring marine science students and, in a very informal and straightforward manner, he talked about what it takes to become a scientist, his successes and failures, and what motivated him along the way.” Walker described Chris and his presentation as a “home run” with the students because “he took off the ‘cloak of invisibility’ with his personal appearance. After all, how many research scientists have been in your classroom lately?”
In late February, Walker will take two of his classes to Gulf-front sites in the area to collect samples and mail them to the Reddy lab at WHOI for analysis. The Deep-C GOO coordinators are excited to be working with their first group of students. Over the next five months, these “GOOies” will receive on-site instruction and special training. The lesson plans and hands-on activities meet Florida’s educational standards and touch on general ocean science and oil spill research, oil degradation, how to think like a scientist, and the correct way to conduct scientific sampling.
The first phase of Project GOO was so successful that Deep-C plans to broaden it to include a school in Tallahassee at the end of March, adding Dr. Olivia Mason from Florida State University to the team for her expertise in oil analysis.
Teacher Shawn Walker and scientist Chris Reddy reflect on a hard day’s work at the beach! (Photo by Danielle Groenen)
Reddy, a specialist on following oil as it passes through the environment, has been making frequent trips to the Gulf Coast from Massachusetts to collect samples since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Even though the oil spill occurred more than three years ago, the process of gathering and analyzing information about the fate of the oil and dispersants will take years. The continuation of Project GOO will be a cost-effective way to get Reddy the data he needs and engage local young people in relevant, hands-on scientific work that affects them directly. Reddy summed up the citizen scientist initiative by saying, “Field work is fun, rewarding, and is an excellent teaching tool. Students and their parents need to know that you don’t need a degree in science to contribute.”
Engaging younger students is equally important to the project. At WHOI, Reddy works exclusively with graduate students. He called working with high school students “a real treat” and stressed the importance of getting young people “hooked” on science before they begin college and make choices that will affect their own life’s path and the future of scientific research as a whole.
Walker’s enthusiasm for this program is palatable: “In my opinion the highly respected, professional resources provided through contact with the Deep-C consortium make them one of the most sought after educational partners of the decade!”
Watch this video of students at West Florida High School as they learn to “Think Like a Scientist” as part of Project GOO:
This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to theDeepsea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (DEEP-C) consortium. The 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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
On board the R/V Acadiana, Dr. Tara Duffy and workshop participants collect marine and water samples in marsh waters. (Photo credit: Jessica Hernandez)
An old philosophical question asks, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
Similarly, if a scientist makes an important discovery and people do not hear about it, will it matter? Scientists are conducting research about oil and other impacts on coastal marine environments. Sharing this unfolding science with communities most affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a priority for them.
Marine educator Jessica Hernandez with the Coastal Waters Consortium (CWC) voiced the importance of this outreach, saying, “What is scientific research if we cannot share it with the public?” To do this, educators and scientists with the CWC have established a series of public education workshops to highlight recent research about the chemical evolution, biological degradation, and environmental stresses of petroleum and dispersant in the Gulf of Mexico and their effects on coastal and shelf ecosystems.
Dr. Chuck Wall presents research on marine life that live in marsh sediment. (Photo credit: Jessica Hernandez)
Dr. Chuck Wall and Dr. Tara Duffy, postdoctoral research associates with the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), led the first Gulf Lagniappe Public Education Workshop on October 26, 2013 at the DeFelice Marine Center in Cocodrie, Louisiana. Attendees listened to presentations, explored the bay, used laboratory equipment, and—in true Louisiana fashion—enjoyed a delicious chicken and sausage gumbo lunch.
Dr. Wall focused on two research areas—the hypoxic or “dead zone” in the Gulf and the effect of oil on the tiny creatures that live in salt marsh mud. He talked about the abundance and diversity of these mud-dwelling critters and explained his work that uses samples from both oiled and non-oiled areas to understand how oil exposure affects them.
Dr. Tara Duffy helps participants use laboratory equipment to study marine larvae. Photo credit: (Jessica Hernandez)
A fisheries expert, Dr. Duffy spoke about her work with the early life stages of blue crab, anchovy, red snapper, and trout to study the impacts of oil exposure on these animals at this delicate developmental stage. She described lab experiments that exposes larvae to oil and records how the organisms respond.
After the presentations, participants traveled by boat around the local estuary and used trawl nets to collect marine samples. They experienced the biodiversity – both plants and animals – that live right offshore and that are at risk. After the bay tour, the group looked at plankton specimens under a microscope. Viewing these tiny organisms, integral to the Gulf of Mexico’s food web, brought home the many lessons of the day on the interconnectedness of the environment.
On board the R/V Acadiana, workshop participants identify marine animals caught when trawling in marsh estuaries. (Photo credit: Jessica Hernandez)
One attendee explained the desire to continue learning about the research saying, “Unless you are in this career, the aspects of this life and the ecosystems all around us are never in your mind,” adding that it was important to know “the things we do that impact them and how they impact us.”
The CWC will host another all-day Gulf Lagniappe Public Education Workshop on Coastal Wetlands Formation, Functions, and Susceptibility on November 23 at the LUMCON facility in Chauvin, Louisiana. For more information, go to the CWC website. To register directly online, go to http://blogcwc.weebly.com/events.html.
This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) to the Coastal Waters Consortium. The GoMRI is a 10-year, $500 million independent research program established by an agreement between BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact of this and similar incidents on the environment and public health.
A fun and educational activity book that teaches children about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and other marine science topics related to the Gulf of Mexico.
Fairview High School teacher Stephanie Chambers navigates an underwater ROV while out at sea aboard DISL’s R/V Alabama-Discovery. (Photo credit: Tina Miller-Way, DISL)
Ten high school teachers from Alabama and Florida are returning to their 2013-2014 science classes armed with new skills, materials, and inspiration. In July, these educators attended a five-day workshop entitled Technology in Marine Science. They built and operated Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and, more importantly, learned how to use them as teaching tools in their classrooms. Throughout the coming year, the teachers will help their students design, build, and test their own ROVs and prepare them for spring competition.
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) directs and hosts this and other teacher workshops as part of a larger education effort by the Deep Sea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Deep-C) research consortium. Their goal is to incorporate oil-spill related research – a topic of high public interest – into classrooms and assist teachers and students in understanding and using this relevant research and associated scientific and engineering concepts as well as a means to further Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
A researcher collects a water sample to assess water quality in Breton Sound, LA. Photo: Gene Turner
Louisiana State University (LSU) researchers are intimately familiar with the estuaries that surround them. Since 1994, they have studied the water quality of Breton Sound, Barataria Bay and surrounding coastal waters. River flow into these two drainage basins has been drastically altered and both are now fed primarily by man-made diversions and channels. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has led LSU scientists to extend and increase their sampling efforts in these environmentally sensitive areas.
Classroom Activity: Water Quality
Water quality is monitored by measuring physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a body of water. In this activity, students will visit a nearby water body to investigate how healthy it is by taking scientific measurements and making observations.
PDF: Water Quality Monitoring of Barataria Bay and Lake Pontchartrain -PDF 1.09MB
Eelgrass, Rangia clams and oysters collected from the Pontchartrain Basin for oil spill monitoring. Photo credit: UNO PIES
Scientists with the University of New Orleans were busy monitoring the coastal ecosystem of the Pontchartrain Basin in Louisiana following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Their monitoring program aimed to track and evaluate the effects of oiling on eelgrass, oysters and clams, and free swimming fish and invertebrates. The information gained from this study builds on existing monitoring programs addressing the importance of the natural resources of the ecosystem.
Classroom Activity: The Pontchartrain Basin Watershed
A watershed is the area of land where all surface and ground water and precipitation drain to the same location. The Pontchartrain Basin watershed drains the creeks, rivers and lakes of southern Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico. The water carries along with it naturally occurring nutrients and sediments but also harmful pollutants.
PDF: The Pontchartrain Basin_After the Oil Spill -PDF 1.26MB
A clump of sargassum floats in the clear blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Seabird McKeon
Sargassum seaweed is often found floating freely in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Take a closer look and you will find a community of organisms thriving around these floating islands. Unfortunately, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill threatened these open-ocean habitats and the animals that depend on them. To assess how pelagic Sargassum was impacted by the oil spill, researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) set out in the fall of 2010 to collect samples.
Classroom Activity: Habitat Balance
Sargassum is a floating brown algae that is common to the northern Gulf of Mexico. They provide critical habitat for many marine species and are therefore critical to the food web. In this activity, students will learn about its importance and how it was affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Sargassum_Floating Nurseries – PDF 1.1MB
Researchers prepare to deploy a multi-corer which will collect sediment samples from the sea floor. Photo: USM
Initially, much of the oil released from the Macondo well during the Deepwater Horizon disaster floated on the surface of the water. Over time, physical processes drove some of the oil onto beaches and into other shallow habitats of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi are trying to determine where the rest of the oil went. They want to see if oil has also reached the sea floor at greater depths, and if so, where.
Classroom Activity: Deep-Sea Sediments
The ocean floor is made up of sediment including sand, silt and clay particles. The skeletons of tiny animals also contribute to deep-sea sediments. The particles take different amounts of time to reach the sea floor, depending on their density and size. Scientists study the layers of particles to create a historical record of the ocean floor. In this lesson, students will examine a core sample and conduct an experiment to see what factors influence settling rates.
Responses of Benthic Communities to Oil Exposure – PDF 1.1MB
Researchers measure the health of a Florida manatee captured in Mobile Bay, AL before fitting it with a satellite tag. Photo credit: DISL
In Mobile Bay, two key species were at risk for contamination as oil entered the surrounding waters after the Deepwater Horizon disaster; the commercially important eastern oyster and the endangered West Indian manatee. These very different species were closely monitored to study effects of oil exposure not only because of their special interest throughout the northern Gulf, but because they represent two distinct habitat niches and life-styles typical of species in local waters (stationary bottom-dwelling residents and mobile ocean-going visitors).
Classroom Activity: Migrating Manatees
Some animals stay in one general area their entire life while others migrate, sometimes very long distances. Animals may migrate to another area to mate, find food, because of a change of season or other environmental or behavioral cues. Florida manatees spend the winter in Florida near the warmth of springs that remain at a constant temperature year round but during the warmer months travel long distances in search of aquatic plants to eat. In the US they travel as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia.
Residents and Visitors of Mobile Bay_Oil Spill Impacts – PDF 1.4MB
L to R: Diatom Ditylum brightwelli, dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra (Images/LSU) and a dramatic example of a red tide event (Image/NOAA).
The Deepwater Horizon disaster exposed countless plants and animals to harmful crude oil. Though less visible, phytoplankton were also impacted. Scientists from Louisiana State University are investigating what effects the toxic components of crude oil may have on phytoplankton by studying two common species of the Gulf of Mexico.
Classroom Activity: Phytoplankton
What is a phytoplankton bloom? Why do they happen? In this activity students will learn about phytoplankton, blooms, why they can be dangerous and how human activity may play a role in the frequency of blooms.
Phytoplankton and the Oil Spill – PDF 1.5MB
Researchers use a specially designed net to trap animals that use the marsh during high tide. Credit: Ryan Moody
Salt marshes and seagrass meadows, common across the northern Gulf of Mexico, are highly productive ecosystems that provide critical habitat to many ecologically and economically important species of finfish and shellfish. Juvenile crabs, shrimp and fish that seek refuge in these habitats were threatened during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Fortunately, scientists are finding no significant changes in Alabama’s marsh and seagrass habitats.
Classroom Activity: Random Sampling
Random sampling methods are used by scientists to estimate species abundance or species diversity in a given area. These methods can easily be adapted for classroom or at-home activities.
Monitoring Nursery Habitats After the Oil Spill – PDF 1.6MB
Researchers conduct longline surveys, sampling red snapper and other fish, to monitor oil spill impacts. Photo credit: DISL
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, NGI funded researchers increased the frequency and expanded the coverage of monthly sampling programs across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Data collected by Dauphin Island Sea Lab scientists after the oil spill, is being compared to historical baseline data, allowing for the potential identification of changes in the structure of these critical populations.
Classroom Activity: Mark and Recapture
Mark and recapture is a sampling technique scientists use to estimate population size. A simplified version of the mark and recapture method used in fisheries research can be done as a classroom activity.
Monitoring Gulf Coast Fisheries – PDF 1.2MB
Data collection points, used to track oil, along the Mobile Bay Ship Channel. Figure credit: DISL
During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the potential for oil to be distributed into and around Mobile Bay was unknown. The movement and redistribution of dissolved or very small particles of oil-based substances remained a concern long after the well was capped. Consequently, NGI researchers at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab quickly began sampling the bay to document the presence of oil and to determine what forces affected oil movement in the bay.
Classroom Activity: Oceanography to Limnology
Scientists use a variety of techniques to gather information about aquatic habitats. Whether it be Mobile Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, a creek or pond, scientists use similar methods for analyzing the physical and chemical properties of a body of water. Monitoring water quality is important in determining the health of an ecosystem and for identifying potential problems such as pollution.
A flow cytometer is used to analyze bacteria, archaea and viruses collected after the oil spill. Photo credit: DISL
Scientists across the Gulf of Mexico, with support from NGI, are evaluating the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the health of the marine ecosystem. To understand the effects on key elements of the marine food web, one Dauphin Island Sea Lab scientist is comparing microbial samples taken before the oil spill to samples that were exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil.
Classroom Activity: Food Web Wipeout
Food webs demonstrate complex feeding relationships among species in an ecosystem by combining several food chains. Scientists use food webs to demonstrate the fragile and interconnected nature of an ecosystem. This activity demonstrated the complexity of a food web and what can happen when one component of a food web is altered.
Microbes and the Marine Food Web – PDF 1.1MB
Oil and water mixture used in exposure experiment on larval and juvenile spotted seatrout. Photo/Griffitt USM
Call them spotted seatrout, speckled trout, or even specks; whatever name you choose to call them, know they are important fish, both to the environment and the economy. Spotted seatrout live in coastal estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico. They, along with other estuarine species, were exposed to varying amounts of oil soon after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Since the spill, researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) Toxicology Research Center have been trying to better understand what physical effects the oil and chemical dispersants may have had on these important fish.
Classroom Activity: How old is that fish?
Did you know scientists can tell how old a fish is by looking at its otoliths or “earstones” and counting the rings? Similar to tree rings, fish otoliths have layers that can be counted to determine age. In this activity, students will learn what otoliths are, why they are important to a fish and how scientists can study them to learn more about the life of a fish. Students can also play an interactive game to examine otoliths and age fish.
Impacts of Oil on Spotted Seatrout – PDF 1MB
Oil layer uncovered on Pensacola Beach, FL. Photo credit: Huettel FSU
Shortly after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, oil began washing ashore on many Gulf coast beaches. Over time, because of wind and waves, oil was buried below the beach surface. The impact of oil on sandy habitats, beach dwelling animals and water quality has not been well studied; therefore, scientists at Florida State University are researching what effect the buried oil is having on the beach and dune environments that have been impacted across the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Classroom Activity: Barrier Islands
Barrier islands are dynamic habitats that support many uniquely adapted plants and animals. In this lesson, students will learn about the characteristics of beaches, dunes and other barrier island habitats, the forces that drive them and how they were made vulnerable during the oil spill.
Gulf of Mexico Beaches and Dunes_Oil Spill Impacts – PDF 1MB
Satellite image of 2010 sampling locations along Louisiana and Mississippi coast. Image credit: MSU
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill put hundreds of miles of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline in harm’s way. Salt marshes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama received varied amounts of oil during the summer of 2010, ranging from light sheen and tarballs in the east to patchy, heavy oiling in the west and along barrier islands. Dr. Deepak Mishra, along with colleagues at Mississippi State University, is working with NGI to address the large scale disturbances of these fragile gulf coast salt marshes.
Classroom Activity: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis, the process by which plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, add water, and use the energy from sunlight to produce sugar, can be divided into two major reaction types: light-dependent and light-independent. This activity demonstrates both, and can lead to further discussions and experiments of factors in the environment that can affect the rate of photosynthesis.
Gulf Coast Salt Marshes_Oil Spill Impacts – PDF 1.4MB
This map shows the radiocarbon content of sediments on the seafloor of the Gulf. The more bright colors represent less radiocarbon; indicative of oil input. You can clearly see the trace of the oil plume to the southwest of the spill site (marked with an x). Image credit: Jeff Chanton, FSU
The effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico are, for the most part, still unknown. Florida State University has developed an integrated study of the impact of oil on the coastal and ocean marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico, including the northern West Florida Shelf, extending from the Big Bend Region west to Louisiana. They are investigating the effects of the spill on coastal ecosystems with a particular emphasis on changes in the food webs that support major commercial and recreational fisheries in the Gulf and in locating oil on the seafloor.
Classroom Activity: You Are What You Eat
Students will investigate a food chain and explore how what an animal eats and where it lives leaves permanent chemical marks on them. The chemical marks can be analyzed by scientists and allow them to learn about the animals life history.
Florida to Louisiana_Tracing the Oil – PDF 1.2MB
Dr. Edelmann’s laboratory assistants use a mass spectrometer to analyze protein samples. Photo credit: MSU
In the past, oil exposure has been associated with devastating infectious disease outbreaks in wild populations of fish. The links between these outbreaks and the oil exposure are circumstantial but they suggest an associated disruption of the immune system. Scientists at Mississippi State University hope to use state-of-the art laboratory techniques to determine if the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is affecting the health of fish populations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Classroom Activity: The Immune System
The immune system is made up of special cells, proteins, tissues and organs designed to protect our bodies from invading bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and even parasites. In most cases, the body’s immune system does a good job of preventing infection. But sometimes stressors can result in a weakened immune system. NGI scientists are examining how oil exposure may be affecting the immune response of several species of fish.
Fish Health and Oil Exposure – PDF 1.2MB
An Integrated Ecosystem Assessment incorporates human, biotic, and physical interactions of an ecosystem that result from human and natural system disturbance. Image Credit: DISL
For several years now, a team of scientists from research institutions across the Gulf coast has worked together to develop an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) model for the northern Gulf of Mexico. Researchers, including oceanographers, ecosystem modelers, and population ecologists came together shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to set up the framework for examining the ecological impacts of the disaster.
Classroom Activity: Ecosystems
Scientists study ecosystems by learning about their living and non-living components and how they are connected to one another. In this lesson, students will discover what an ecosystem is and explore one, either in person or virtually, to better understand all of the components.
Ecosystem Modeling Framework – PDF 1MB
Live deep-sea red crab collected by Dr. Harriet Perry to study effects of the oil spill. Photo: Belinda Serata/NWF
Many of us are familiar with coastal habitats, like salt marshes and seagrass beds, the services they provide, and the seafood they produce. Unfortunately, the deep sea doesn’t have this type of exposure and is often misunderstood. Scientists from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) are hoping to change that. They are studying this foreign land, and the animals that inhabit it, to determine the short- and long-term ecological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Classroom Activity: Exploring the Deep Sea
The deep sea is home to fascinating, yet largely unexplored communities of organisms. As a result, the importance of these ecosystems is relatively unknown. In this lesson, students will learn about deep-sea habitats, the organisms that live there and what adaptations allow them to survive in such extreme conditions.
Deep-Sea Red Crabs – PDF 1.0MB
Satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico showing the spreading oil sheen May 24, 2010. (Photo/NASA)
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana. The resulting oil spill lasted 87 days and created the largest accidental release of oil the world had ever seen. While much of the northern Gulf of Mexico was spared, receiving little to no oil, other areas were heavily impacted. Several different methods were used to contain and clean up the oil, with varied success. Efforts to remove oil from the water and beaches are onging where necessary. Scientists continue to monitor coastal habitats to document and understand both the short- and long-term effects.
Classroom Activity: Still the Spill
Protecting the estuaries and coastal habitats of the northern Gulf of Mexico was of utmost importance during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A variety of materials were used to protect habitats and clean up the oil as it came ashore. Dispersants, chemicals that break down hydrocarbons, were used in some locations.
An Overview of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – PDF 1.4MB
DISL sampling sites in coastal Mississippi and Alabama. Image credit: DISL
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was of extreme concern to research scientists, environmental managers, and conservationists. Because of public health concerns, state and federal authorities quickly closed many areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico to recreational and commercial fishing. NGI researchers at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab immediately began studying the oil spill including what effect the closures and subsequent lack of fishing pressure had on fish populations.
Classroom Activity: Marine Protected Areas
During the oil spill, fishing bans created a temporary sanctuary (similar to a Marine Protected Area) across a large portion of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are environments that have been reserved by federal, state, territorial, tribal, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources contained within. The level of protection varies from site to site depending on the desired management and conservation strategies. Information about the National MPA system can be found at http://marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/nationalsystem.
Coastal Alabama and Mississippi Fish Communities – PDF 1.1MB
Major lakes and waterways in the Breton Sound estuary. Numbers refer to water testing locations along sampling route. Image: LSU
The Mississippi River Delta region, including the Breton Sound estuary along the southeastern coast of Louisiana, is both environmentally and economically important. The swamps, bogs and marshes of this region account for 40% of all the wetlands in the lower 48 states. Unfortunately,
these habitats were put in harm’s way when oil from the Macondo well began washing ashore. Scientists from Louisiana State University closely monitor water quality in the Breton Sound estuary and have expanded their efforts since the oil spill.
Classroom Activity: Water Quality on the Web
The internet is a valuable source for scientific data available to the public. In this lesson, students will access water quality information about Mobile Bay, a body of water that shares similar characteristics with Breton Sound. They will learn how to interpret the data provided and gain a better understanding of how water quality impacts a habitat.
Breton Sound Estuary_Water Quality – PDF 1.6MB
Middle and high school teachers in Florida put on their sea legs, boarded the R/V Weatherbird II, and conducted science that matters to their students and communities.
Dr. Teresa Greely (L) assists C-IMAGE Chief Scientist Leslie Schwierzke-Wade (middle) as she talks with 3rd graders at Jamerson Elementary in Florida during a Skype ship-to-shore video conference. (Also pictured is scientist Heather Broadbent). (Photo by: Mary St. Denis)
Educators worked with scientists to understand the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. While gaining hands-on experience, teachers blogged and Skyped to share their learning and have others virtually join their adventures. Back on shore, teachers created classroom materials.
The Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of the Gulf Ecosystem (C-IMAGE) research consortium, led by the University of South Florida, hosts a Teacher at Sea Program. C-IMAGE expeditions collect marine data – from sea-surface plankton to deep-sea microbes in sediments – to answer questions about long-term oil spill impacts and understand the Gulf system.
This year’s participants were Matt MacGregor (Escambia High School), Mary St. Denis (Winter Haven High School), Elisabeth McCormack (Dunedin Highland Middle School), and Kathryn Bylsma (Dr. John Long Middle School). Their blogs depict life at sea and the academic rigor and challenges that go into planning and implementing sea experiments.
Below are a few highlights from their sea expeditions. Read more at the C-IMAGE blog Adventures at Sea: Deep Sea Fish and Sediment Surveys in the Gulf.
Teacher Elisabeth McCormack created a humorous way to share science with students. (Image provided by C-IMAGE)
Gung Ho! Enthusiastic Teachers
Teachers eagerly await their time at sea. Mary St. Denis said, “It is an exciting countdown to an adventure…to get out in the field and do science is a dream spot for many teachers like me.”
Some teachers expressed their enthusiasm through creative cartoon-style story-telling. Elizabeth McCormack created a skit filled with “characters” (real people on the vessel) and “action” (their at-sea research). Check out her Bonkers for Bongos blog !
Dr. Kendra Daly, the C-IMAGE chief scientist on the vessel was happy to have them: “The teachers were enthusiastic, hardworking, and valuable members of the science team.”
All Aboard! A Community of Active Learners
Impressive science teams are on board and their work of discovery and learning resonates with teachers, as Kathryn Blysma explains, “I am blessed to be surrounded by so many people who are avid learners… from such incredibly varied backgrounds… microbiology college students, European engineers, and graduate volunteers who enjoy…putting their skills to good use. It’s when there are interactionsbetween communities that true learning takes place.”
Teacher Matt MacGregor (R) and FWC scientist and graduate student, Matt Garrett prepare Niskin bottles in a CTD system. (Photo by: Teresa Greely)
That community spirit of learning and doing fosters teamwork. Blysma saw this as teams worked from early morning gathering data to late nights analyzing it: “This group has a real system down, a kind of bucket brigade where everyone takes a job or a section to be responsible for.”
Part of the learning involves sea technology. This year, C-IMAGE tested the SIPPER 4 (Shadow Image Profiler and Evaluation Recorder), a small “Rubik-cube size” underwater high resolution camera that goes deeper than earlier devices. It takes pictures of plankton and collects data on physical conditions. McCormack said the most exciting part was its internet connection ability, “That means engineers do not have to snag a spot on a research vessel to access the data, but can work with it in their lab thousands of miles away!”
College students are on board and they gave teachers insights on the value of hands-on learning. Blysma wrote about Joe, an undergraduate student, who had no interest in school until he went to an environmental center in his district. There, his whole outlook on learning changed. “[This] reminded me that each child we see is a ‘Joe’ searching for his niche. As teachers we are the wayfarers nudging and encouraging them at stages in that venture.”
All Hands on Deck! STEM in Action
Teacher Mary St. Denis (R) filters water with Dr. Teresa Greely (L) at the lab onboard the R/V Weatherbird II. St. Denis said, “My students and I are very concerned about the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill. I am really happy to be a part of finding out more about what is happening in the Gulf.” (Photo provided by C-IMAGE)
C-IMAGE conducts interdisciplinary science to understand Gulf marine ecosystems. McCormack described how science, engineering, and technology came together with the SIPPER 4, “A scientist may know what they want to measure, but it may take the mechanical mind of an engineer to build the device that can collect that data.” Marine technicians got the equipment in and out of the water, completing a demonstration of collaborative efforts among specialists.
Teachers experienced the evolving nature of science discovery when a routine task – collecting bottles of seawater – took on greater importance, becoming as McCormack said “one of the most important missions on this cruise.” They found one sample from deep Gulf waters that looked and smelled different and determined that it contained much less salt than water from that depth does normally.
They hypothesized about freshwater sources, including the Mississippi River outflow into the Gulf. Scientists will run additional tests at their home labs and look for an explanation. McCormack said, “I feel really lucky I was out here in the Gulf when we had a mystery to solve…I got a chance to see how all of this fits together.”
Field work reminded teachers that answering big questions requires a systematic process that takes time. McCormack said they could not start with “What happened to the Gulf after the oil spill?” explaining that “It is too broad, and impossible to answer with a single measure.” She likened it to eating a steak in one bite instead of pieces and explained that the scientific method includes collecting data many times and in multiple ways before tackling the difficult job of interpreting it. “But in the end,” said McCormack, “you have data that means something….You find answers to your questions and are inspired to ask new questions and start all over again.”
Ship-to-Shore! Connecting Future Scientists
Dr. Teresa Greely (on screen) Skypes with educators during a professional development session at the New England Aquarium during IODP Expedition 340 in the Lesser Antilles. (Photo by: Jennifer Collins, Deep Earth Academy, COL)
C-IMAGE scientists use Skype to visually and verbally share their scientific missions in real-time with the K-12 community. One online demonstration was with 90 third graders at Jamerson Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Florida. They toured the boat, saw researchers retrieve bongo nets and collect plankton samples, and spoke with science experts and crew members. St. Denis marveled, “So far this week, about 370 students have virtually sailed with us.”
Teachers in the field make an impression on students, “Wow, Miss McCormack, you really have done a lot of stuff!” McCormack reflected on this important revelation, “My goal is to encourage students to both observe and interpret the world around them…to get out there and see real science happening.” She continued, “I love bringing authentic data sets to the math classroom so I can give students an answer to their ‘why do we need to learn this” questions.’”
Educators’ use of social media grabs students’ attention. One teacher described her class’ response to a Skype session: “They got a kick out of us using Skype!…It really hit home that it is a useful tool for ‘real’ work and not just socializing!”
Dr. Daly noted that the teachers “worked around the clock,” but “still found time to create blogs and communicate with their students. We were fortunate to have such wonderful volunteers.”
Bounty! Helping the Gulf
In the midst of all the bustling ship and research activities, teachers maintained a bigger-picture perspective. Reflecting on the “bottle of seawater” mystery, McCormack connected that specific experience with a larger purpose: “Scientists have systematically collected these samples over the past three years [and] have begun to create a historical database that will allow us to develop a clearer picture of how the Gulf behaves over time.”
Blysma wrote about the importance of connecting her experience with making future generations prepared to help the Gulf: “What does all this have to do with the Deepwater Horizon event or the data being collected? It’s the study of human impact on the environment and the critical balance that has to be maintained.”
For more information about the C-IMAGE Teacher at Sea Program, contact Dr. Teresa Greely. To learn more about the Florida Institute of Oceanography’s R/V Weatherbird II, take a virtual tour.
This research was made possible in part by a Grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) through theCenter for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of the Gulf Ecosystem (C-IMAGE) consortium. The GoMRI is a 10-year, $500 million independent research program established by an agreement between BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact of this and similar incidents on the environment and public health.
This experiment will test if the insects will die (i.e., the yellow color changing paper turning red once it comes in contact with a weak basic solution) once they have come in contact with crude oil through various exposure routes.
Many times, people think about the environmental impacts of an oil spill and the main organisms (impacted) that come to mind are marine mammals, crustaceans, fish, birds, and even mollusks. Insects are often forgotten, but some species are closely associated to soil and plant life; therefore, some insects are of high ecological value. Some insects live within the shoots of dead Spartina, directly exposed to marshes in which oil contamination has occurred. Researchers want to know what happens to some of these insects that are exposed to oil by various means (e.g., direct contact, inhalation, ingestion, etc.).
The most recent and notable offshore drilling incident was the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill which was responsible for releasing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding coast.
Students will be re-enacting a methodology initiated by GoMRI researchers to identify insect abundance on oiled and unoiled plots of land. The weak basic solution (i.e., baking soda and water) will represent crude oil. Students will expose 2 out of 3 columns of insects to ‘oiled water’ that may be found in salt marshes along the Gulf coast.
After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, a heavy layer of oiled vegetation mats were preventing the thick emulsified oil underneath from breaking down along Barataria Bay’s marshes. (NOAA/Scott Zengel)
Coastal wetland vegetation is essential to the coastal area because it provides a barrier for the local community, a nursery habitat for juvenile organisms, and a highly productive environment for the marine life. This form of vegetation has a very high potential to come in contact with pollution, originating from inshore or offshore sources, because it is in areas usually separating ocean from land.
The most recent and notable offshore drilling incident was the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill which was responsible for releasing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding coast. There are different types of oils and each has varying degrees of physical harm for proximal vegetation and soil, inducing and/or intensifying coastal erosion. The pollutant decays the root area of plants, creating a looser soil with a weaker support system.
This is a symbolic experiment for coastal wetland vegetation that may come in contact with light crude oil contamination (vegetable oil), heavier crude oil contamination (motor oil), or crude oil contamination in hypersaline environments. Light crude oil should be less harmful to wetlands in comparison to a heavier crude oil (more metal content) or even light crude oil in hypersaline areas (high salt content may absorb more water and nutrients from the plants, allowing for further smothering of the vegetation by oil).
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 inch cups shrank to half their original size.
Dr. Steve DiMarco and his graduate student, Laura Spencer, visited two of the classes on 30 April 2013. The cups were returned to the students.
“Why do they shrink?” asked one of the students.
DiMarco used the cup demonstration to explain the property of pressure in the ocean to the students. The pressure on Earth’s surface is approximately 14.7 pounds per square inch. When the cup is lowered 3000 feet into the Gulf, pressure increased approximately Certificate100 times that of Earth’s surface, squeezing all the air out of the cup and reducing it to half its original size.
DiMarco presented a slide show to the students discussing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Topics included the fate of oil from the spill, effects of the oil spill on the Gulf ecosystem and what the Gulf Integrated Spill Research (GISR) consortium hopes to discover from their current research in the Gulf of Mexico. Spencer, who participated in the two GISR tracer cruises (G02 and G03), described what is was like to spend a month at sea doing research. The students were fascinated to learn about life at sea.
DiMarco and Spencer presented the students with certificates for participating as “student oceanographers” in the GISR G03 cruise.
Alan and Anissa Holekamp enjoyed looking at a juvenile blue crab that was caught in the trawl aboard the R/V Acadiana during Dads and Daughters Day. (Photo by Murt Conover)
“My mom would love this boat ride.” “I wish my child could walk the marshes.”
Murt Conover, Senior Marine Educator and Aquarist with the Coastal Waters Consortium (CWC), often hears comments like these when leading teacher and student groups at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) facility. She thought it seemed like a “no brainer” to put parents and kids together in outreach programs, and thus the inaugural Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Discovering Coastal Waters Science events were born.
Mothers and sons identified, sorted, and counted the species caught in a trawl in Terrebonne Bay aboard the R/V Acadiana. (Photo by Murt Conover)
Conover loves planning educational activities that get local families outside in the marshes and waterways to learn about the delicate ecosystem that surrounds them. They also learn about impacts from natural and manmade hazards that affect this region, one being the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She explains, “We like to get people to experience it first hand, because ownership leads to responsibility. We have a very ‘get your feet wet and hands muddy’ philosophy as far as education goes!” But the events are not just pretty nature walks. Participants often gather samples and analyze them in the LUMCON lab using state-of-the-art research technology. “We do the scientific process from start to finish,” Conover says proudly.
Groups of dads and daughters conducted experiments to learn about how oil can behave in currents before and after it has been dispersed. (Photo by Murt Conover)
Earlier this year, close to Valentine’s Day, CWC hosted a Dads and Daughters Day. They began with a ride on the R/V Acadiana to see the beauty of the Louisiana coast and to experience the kinds of tasks scientists perform on a research vessel. That afternoon, the group conducted oil-spill related experiments in the lab. After the experiments, they finished the day learning about marsh habitat.
CWC hosted a Mothers and Sons Day in May in honor of Mother’s Day. This event was similar to the Dads and Daughters Day, but because of the warmer weather, they constructed Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and tested them outside. Both the moms and the sons enjoyed working with this research technology and being out in the field. One son said, “We walked into the marsh. That was a first for me. We saw little house-like areas made of sticks.” He added, “I’m glad to see the oil spill didn’t kill all of the animals.”
Mother Shawn Duplessis and her son Brady learned the names of the vegetation found on a natural ridge in the salt marsh. (Photo by Murt Conover)
One of the main goals of these programs was to acquaint locals with current research being done to learn about the environmental response to the oil spill, and participants’ feedback showed success. One mom gave this family outreach event the perfect review, commenting, “I wasn’t aware of the structure in place for studying oil spill impacts. It is comforting to realize that compassionate and competent people are researching independently, because without the independent research, it would be hard to trust the data provided to the public.”
Conover enjoyed watching the father/daughter and mother/son dynamics as they learned about the coastal environment. And since her own father came to support her efforts, the father/daughter event was even more special. She laughs, “Having my dad there that day, I got the same kind of experience as the other girls. It was fun to be the educator and the daughter.”
Both inaugural events had full attendance and participants and staff were pleased with these learning experiences. The CWC plans to host similar family-themed events in the coming months.
This research was made possible in part by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) with the Coastal Waters Consortium. The GoMRI is a 10-year, $500 million independent research program established by an agreement between BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact of this and similar incidents on the environment and public health.
Deepwater coral reefs, aptly known as cold-water coral reefs, can be formed by the carbon created when bacteria biodegrade oil from natural seeps nearby. Oil spills can be easily devastating to coral reefs, ranging from the reefs at the surface of the water, directly subsurface, and even cold-water corals. Continue reading
All the world’s a stage – literally – as oceanic, atmospheric, and geologic conditions and events come to life on a “revolving” globe.
General public visitors attend a Science on a Sphere presentation at the Bay Education Center. (Photo by Jackie Hattenbach)
Researchers and science educators are using visualizations of oil spills, tsunamis, and hurricanes combined with science-based narratives to demonstrate the complex connectivity among Earth systems. The animated presentation of science in a world-wide context may grow public support for and inspire students to pursue interdisciplinary research that aims to improve response to future events.
With support from a Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI) award, the Dispersion Research on Oil: Physics and Plankton Studies (DROPPS) consortium led by Dr. Edward Buskey with the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) has partnered with the UTMSI Bay Education Center to incorporate up-to-date oil-spill and ocean research with the NOAA Science on a Sphere exhibit in order to reach a broad public audience.
K-12 educators learn about the teaching potential of Science on a Sphere at a professional development workshop. (Photo by John Williams)
“Science on a Sphere can take this large, abstract phenomenon and make it accessible. The large format, global view really enables you to get a sense of the scale and movement of the Deepwater Horizon spill in a way that is much more intuitive than looking at a two-dimensional map or even a series of maps,” explains Dr. Deana Erdner a UTMSI Associate Professor and DROPPS outreach coordinator. “In addition, the Sphere is beautiful – it really draws people in, which means that we can get the information and the ideas out to far more people than we could with a static display.”
The DROPPS outreach team is in the initial development stage of preparing narratives using cutting-edge ocean surface currents and temperature science. As they more fully develop these narratives, they will pair them with NOAA and NASA datasets to create a powerful audio-visual teaching resource. The animation below is an example of how NOAA satellite data are used to show the daily movement of surface oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident from April 23 to August 2, 2010 and the locations affected.
(Above) Science on a Sphere Oil Spill Animation. Note: No audio. (Credit: NOAA)
DROPPS is pursuing collaboration with other GoMRI-funded consortia to incorporate new datasets into future Science on a Sphere presentations.
Last year, over 1,000 K-12 school children and 10,000 members of the general public attended UTMSI Science on a Sphere presentations. There are 82 exhibits around the world; 53 of them in the United States. All exhibits will have access to the science narratives that DROPPS is developing using the NOAA Deepwater Horizon dataset. This collaborative effort extends the availability of DROPPS outreach to a world-wide audience.
Children from Sea Camp attend a Science on a Sphere program at the Bay Education Center. (Photo by Carolyn Rose)
In addition to the exhibit presentations, the DROPPS outreach team incorporates oil-spill research in teacher workshops and when speaking to visiting K-12 groups. A middle school biology teacher who attended a presentation said, “The globe is awesome. I think students are really going to enjoy that. I’m looking forward to as many away-from-school and out-of-the-box learning situations that I can find.”
The DROPPS program includes six research institutions in five U.S. states and Norway. Scientists are investigating and modeling key processes involved with the dispersion of oil spills, interactions of oil with marine organisms and bacteria, and the environmental impact of these interactions. The experimental and numerical studies are performed at varying scales and levels of complexity, from bench-top studies to characterize specific phenomena to meso-scale experiments that are essential for mimicking realistic physical and biological conditions. The overall goals of these studies are to understand the fate of oil in the Gulf of Mexico; to provide data sets/predictive models to assess the environmental impact; and, via profiling of toxic compounds related to oil spills, to assess public health implications of oil spills in the Gulf.
This research is made possible by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. The GoMRI is a 10-year, $500 million independent research program established by an agreement between BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact of this and similar incidents on the environment and public health.