Gary Finch Outdoors produced a series of videos highlighting various aspects of the Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf (ECOGIG) program, its science, and the important partnerships necessary to make ECOGIG successful. Many of these videos were used by local PBS affiliates in Gulf coast states and were available through the ECOGIG website and YouTube. All videos listed below were developed and produced by Finch Productions, LLC.
What Does ECOGIG Do? (PBS Part 1) (2:20)
Scientists aboard the research vessels R/V Endeavor and E/V Nautilus briefly describe the nature of ECOGIG research.
Collaboration Between Nautilus and Endeavor Tour (PBS Part 2) (2:06)
ECOGIG scientists discuss the research they are conducting on a recent cruise aboard the R/V Nautilus and E/V Endeavor.
ECOGIG R/V Atlantis/ALVIN Cruise: March 30-April 23, 2014 (2:00)
Researchers describe the crucial importance of ALVIN dives in assessing the ecosystem impacts of the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
Deep Sea Life: Corals, Fish, and Invertebrates (4:30)
Dr. Chuck Fisher describes his research examining the fascinating and long-lived deep sea corals impacted by effects of the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
The Eagle Ray Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) News Piece (5:12)
ECOGIG scientists use the Eagle Ray AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) to map the seafloor and get visuals so they can better target their sample collecting for study. The National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) provides the submersible.
(Full Length)
(Shortened News Piece)
Food Webs in the Gulf of Mexico (4:30)
ECOGIG scientists Jeff Chanton and Ian MacDonald, both of Florida State University, explain their complementary work exploring the possibility that hydrocarbons from oil have moved into the Gulf food web. Chanton, a chemical oceanographer, tells of a small but statistically significant rise in fossil carbon, a petrochemical byproduct of oil, showing up in marine organisms sampled from Louisiana to Florida. In addition to the hypothesis that Deepwater Horizon oil might be the culprit, biological oceanographer MacDonald discusses other factors that could also be at play, including coastal marsh erosion, natural oil seeps, and chronic oil industry pollution. This is a Finch Productions, LLC video. For more information, visit ECOGIG.ORG. https://ecogig.org/
Landers Technology Development (4:30)
Most of the area around the Deepwater Horizon spill ranges from 900 – 2000 meters below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. ECOGIG scientists Dr. Chris Martens and Dr. Geoff Wheat talk about Landers, a new technology developed at the University of Mississippi that allows scientists to study the ocean floor at great depths. Landers are platforms custom-equipped with research instruments that can be dropped to the exact site scientists want to study and left for weeks, months, or even years to collect ongoing data.
Marine Snow (4:30)
Dr. Uta Passow describes research she and her colleagues Dr. Arne Dierks and Dr. Vernon Asper conduct on Marine Snow in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil released in 2010 from the Deepwater Horizon explosion floated upwards. Some of this oil then sank towards the seafloor as part of marine snow. When marine snow sinks, it transports microscopic algae and other particles from the sunlit surface ocean to the dark deep ocean, where animals rely on marine snow for food.
Natural Seeps – Geology of the Gulf (4:30)
ECOGIG Scientists Dr. Joe Montoya, Dr. Andreas Teske, Dr. Samantha Joye, and Dr. Ian McDonald describe their collaborative research approach while preparing for the Spring 2014 cruise aboard the R/V Atlantis with research sub ALVIN. Long-term sampling and monitoring of natural oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico, a global hot spot for these seeps, is crucial for understanding the impacts of oil and gas from explosions like Deepwater Horizon.
Remote Sensing & Modeling (4:30)
ECOGIG scientists Dr. Ian MacDonald and Dr. Ajit Subramaniam describe their work monitoring the health of the Gulf of Mexico via remote sensing. Using images from satellites and small aircraft flown by volunteers, MacDonald looks for signs of surface oil, which could be the result of a natural seep, anthropogenic seeps (chronic oil leaks from ongoing drilling operations), or a larger spill like Deepwater Horizon. Subramaniam uses the changes in light in these images to help him understand what is happening below the sea surface, with particular focus on the health of phytoplankton populations that make up the base of the marine food web. This is a Finch Productions, LLC video with additional footage provided by Wings of Care, a nonprofit that assists with volunteer filming operations.
ROVs in STEM Education News Piece (4:30)
ECOGIG’s Dr. Chuck Fisher describes the use of ROVs in researching deep -sea corals in the Gulf of Mexico, and Ocean Exploration Trust’s Dr. Bob Ballard explains the powerful impacts of ROVs in STEM education, as shown during a recent visit onboard the EV Nautilus by members of the Girls and Boys Club of the Gulf region.
Ph.D. students Mary Jacketti (left) and Chao Ji (right) present their research at the University of Miami College of Engineering Research Day. (Provided by Chao Ji)
Advanced tools are needed to predict oil transport to shorelines or
if it will sink to the seafloor and affect sensitive ecosystems. The Subsurface Oil Simulator (SOSim) model, originally developed by the NOAA Response and Restoration’s Emergency Response Division during Deepwater Horizon,
uses statistics to infer the velocity and dispersion of oil spilled in
the water column and predict oil’s transport. The model was initially
developed to track only sunken oil (oil that has reached the seafloor)
on flat bay bottoms following an instantaneous spill, conditions that
represent only a portion of the Gulf of Mexico environment.
University of Miami Ph.D. student Mary Jacketti presents her research at the 2020 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Research Conference. (Provided by Mary Jacketti)
Mary Jacketti
is using field data and bathymetric data to develop computational codes
that will expand the capabilities of the SOSim model so that it can
track sunken oil from instantaneous and continuous spills in bay, river,
coastal, and continental shelf environments. Simulations that
incorporate these areas can help responders locate sunken oil during
emergency spill response.
Mary developed a love for science through her middle school’s annual
science fair. She enjoyed identifying a scientific problem, developing
methods to solve the problem, and analyzing results. During high school,
she often participated in outdoor adventures and became passionate
about the environment. While preparing for college, she realized that
environmental engineering would allow her to use science and mathematics
to develop new ways to lessen human impacts on the environments.
University of Miami Ph.D. students Mary Jacketti (left) and Chao Ji (right) and project co-PI Dr. CJ Beegle-Krause (middle) at the 2020 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Research Conference in Tampa, Florida. (Provided by Mary Jacketti)
As an environmental engineering undergraduate student at the
University of Miami, Mary served as the treasurer for the Society of
Women Engineers. She participated in the group’s annual Introduce a Girl
to Engineering Day, which taught elementary school girls about diverse
STEM careers. She also participated in a research internship documenting
whale and dolphin behavior for the Cape May Whale Watch and Research
Center. During her internship, she conducted her own research project
assessing water quality of waterbodies in Southern New Jersey. Mary
later volunteered for an EPA-funded project using nanoparticles to
filter antibiotic resistant contaminants out of drinking water.
“My undergraduate experiences showed me that I am passionate about
conducting research that will better the environment and public health. I
also found a great passion advocating for women in STEM fields to help
narrow the gender gap in classrooms and the workplace,” said Mary. “I
hope to be able to conduct research that will stand the test of time,
while also motivating and illuminating the path for young women to
conduct research in STEM.”
After completing her bachelor’s degree, University of Mami professor Dr. James Englehardt
asked Mary if would join his GoMRI-funded research team developing a
model that helps minimize how oil spills impact the environment. Mary
knew she could directly apply skills she learned as an undergraduate
student to improve the way scientists approach emergency oil spill
response. She joined Dr. Englehardt’s lab as a Ph.D. student and is
helping develop code that will allow the SOSim model to more accurately
track sunken oil.
Her Work
This graph depicts Subsurface Oil Simulator (SOSim) model predictions of sunken oil locations across various depths (dashed lines) 14 days after the initial spill (black cross). The model used field data (red dots) to identify areas with the highest relative conditional probability of finding submerged oil (yellow shades) and 95% confidence bounds (solid green lines). University of Miami Ph.D. student Mary Jacketti said the model successfully predicted sunken oil in the same location the field data was collected. (Provided by Mary Jacketti)
Mary explained that her research adds a new component to the team’s efforts to expand the SOSim model capability to track submerged oil (oil suspended in the water column). While the submerged oil model uses output from existing trajectory models (such as the SINTEF Oil Spill Contingency and Response, or OSCAR model)
to identify which ocean layers will likely contain oil, the sunken oil
model she’s working on uses bathymetric data to simulate a selected
area’s seafloor depth. If submerged oil in the area’s water column
eventually sinks, the sunken oil model can predict where it will settle.
Mary dedicated her initial efforts to learning about the Python
coding language and Bayesian statistical theory, which quantitatively
updates predictions as new information becomes available. She began
developing simple modeling code to simulate pollutant location and
concentration and then expanded the code to include sunken oil.
Together, she and Dr. Englehardt developed a strategy to incorporate
bathymetry data into the model with existing field data to inform the
Bayesian statistical methods that infer unknown model parameters,
including oil diffusion and velocity and how many oil patches are on the
seafloor.
“Bathymetry plays a significant role in how the sunken oil will be
transported, since oil will generally follow contours of constant depth,
travelling to and residing in the deeper areas,” Mary said. “Including
bathymetry into the SOSim model will help improve spatial and temporal
maps of relative sunken oil concentrations for use during emergency
response operations.”
Mary validates the new code using available synthetic data (data
generated to help simulate certain conditions not seen in the field
data) and field data from past spills. She generates SOSim hindcasts to
determine if the model can correctly predict the location of the sunken
oil and conducts future simulations to see if the model can provide
reasonable results. Preliminary results showed that the inclusion of
bathymetric data increased the model’s accuracy when predicting sunken
oil’s location and transport. Despite relatively sparse sampling of
sunken oil concentrations, the SOSim model can make viable predictions
using available prior oil spill data to infer oil’s location. Mary
acknowledged that having several days of sampled field data improves the
model’s prediction accuracy.
“We hope that this model will aid responders in locating and tracking
sunken oil [in future spills], resulting in quicker recovery of the oil
from the bottom and minimizing the negative impacts the oil may have,”
she said. “If SOSim is used during emergency response in the future,
field data collected by oil spill responders can be used to further
inform the model.”
Her Learning
Dr. Englehardt’s mentorship taught Mary to approach problems in
increasingly critical ways and appreciate the power of asking questions.
While he encouraged Mary to conduct her research independently and
create her own solutions, he was always available to guide and assist.
She learned that regardless of the research being conducted, scientists
attempt to solve questions and discover new solutions to address
problems.
When the team visited SINTEF Ocean
in Trondheim, Norway, Mary was excited about the opportunity to work
alongside researchers from international institutions. Presenting her
research to these scientists improved her presentation skills and
hearing their reports improved her knowledge about oil spill modeling.
She utilized these skills when presenting her research at the 2020 Gulf
of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science (GoMOSES) Conference. “At the
GoMOSES conference, I was able to attend a graduate student luncheon,
where I discussed my research and future career endeavors with other
scholars and experts in the field,” she said. “I will forever be
grateful for the opportunity GoMRI gave me to conduct research on a
topic I am passionate about, while showcasing my research to others in
the field.”
As GoMRI comes to a close, Mary will continue her graduate student
career through new projects. She plans to find an industry position in
risk analysis and environmental modeling that will help her leave a
lasting, positive impact on the environment, something she feels
passionately about.
Praise for Mary
Dr. Englehardt first noticed Mary when she was a student in his
senior-level solid and hazardous waste engineering course. He recalled
that she consistently performed at the top of her class and had a
positive “team spirit” attitude towards group projects. “When it came
time [for Mary] to devise a course project with her classmate, the
result was inspirational,” he said. “Mary and her partner conceived and
designed a vessel to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that was
at least partially self-propelled, effective, and sustainable. I was
impressed with the design, which they developed almost entirely
independently.”
Mary’s steady nature and self-imposed high standards prompted Dr.
Englehardt to offer her a graduate research position with his team while
she was still an undergraduate student. She continued to perform as a
top student in Englehardt’s graduate courses while simultaneously
battling the steep learning curve associated with her GoMRI research and
completing an independent study developing a new microbial risk
assessment method.
“Mary has mastered the advanced Bayesian probability and statistical
inference skills required for our work and become a facile computational
scientist. I depend on her qualifications and consistent commitment to
excellence every day as we complete the development of our novel
Bayesian model,” he said. “All of us on the team consider Mary a good
friend, especially her close co-worker Chao Ji,
with whom she runs marathon-style events in her spare time. Along with
the rest of our team, I look forward to keeping in touch with Mary and
following her career wherever it may lead.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Mary Jacketti 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.
By Stephanie Ellis and Nilde Maggie Dannreuther. Contact sellis@ngi.msstate.edu for questions or comments.
************
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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Ph.D. student Danielle Tarpley holds a sediment core collected from the Lynnhaven River in Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Turner)
Oil that enters a marine environment can attach to particulate matter
suspended in the water and form oil particle aggregates, which then
sink to the seafloor. Some oil particle aggregates are created when
microbial excretions cause particulate matter and oil to cluster and
bind together, forming Marine Oil Snow or MOS. Others result when fine
sediment particles adhere to oil without microbial involvement, forming
oil sediment aggregates or OSAs. Following DeepwaterHorizon, there was a large Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) event
that transported oil to the seafloor, impacting the benthic ecosystem.
If an oil spill were to occur in shallower shelf waters where more
sediment is suspended in the water column, OSAs would likely play an
important role in transporting oil to the seafloor.
Danielle Tarpley
is implementing and modifying code that calculates particle aggregation
for the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave and Sediment Transport (COAWST)
numerical model, helping improve predictions about vertical oil
transport via flocculated mud particles, or mud flocs. Simulations from
this model will help improve overall estimations of oil fate by
predicting the amount and location of sinking OSAs.
(L-R) Virginia Institute of Marine Science Ph.D. students Danielle Tarpley and Jessica Turner and master’s student Cristin Wright hold sediment cores after a long day of fieldwork in the York River estuary. (Photo courtesy of Grace Massey)
In her early high school years, Danielle whizzed through her math
classes. Hoping to advance her education, she enrolled at a math and
science school for her junior and senior years and took a marine biology
class that sparked her scientific curiosity. That experience motivated
her to enter the marine science undergraduate program at Coastal
Carolina University, which required students to study marine biology,
geology, chemistry, and physical oceanography and helped her discover an
affinity for the physical sciences. Later, she completed a master’s
degree there in coastal marine and wetland studies, which included
analyzing observational data using numerical model results.
When Danielle began her Ph.D. studies at the Virginia Institute of
Marine Science (VIMS), she started working with the COAWST model to
study the transport of mud flocs. There, she joined Dr. Courtney Harris’s
Sediment Transport Modeling lab, which became part of a GoMRI-funded
CSOMIO research team, developing a model framework describing oil
transport. The oil transport model will account for biological and
particulate interactions with hydrocarbons in the ocean. Danielle’s
CSOMIO research adapts the flocculation model to account for the
transport of settling oil within particle aggregates. “I find science
challenging, like a puzzle – if the pieces are put together properly,
then you can answer questions. It’s very satisfying when the pieces fall
into place, because my curiosity has an answer as well as more
questions,” said Danielle. “I like that there isn’t one set method to
reaching an answer, and I enjoy learning or discovering different
methods to produce results.”
Her Work
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Ph.D. student Danielle Tarpley (left) pulls in the GOMEX box corer while collecting sediment samples from the York River estuary in Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Grace Massey)
Danielle and her colleagues are generating computer code that for the
state-of-the-art COAWST numerical model originally developed by the US
Geological Survey. Because the COAWST model is a community resource,
hundreds of researchers use and contribute code to it, meaning that
researchers outside of Danielle’s working group will benefit from her
model developments. Her Ph.D. research began with developing code for
the flocculation model (FLOCMOD) that runs within COAWST’s Regional
Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) sediment transport model. The modified code
can now account for OSAs to help simulate the sedimentation of spilled
oil. “There’s only about a half-dozen people working with the
flocculation code in ROMS, and Danielle is one of them,” said Dr.
Harris. “She knows how to get in there and figure out what the code is
doing and make modifications as needed. Because she has the technical
background in FLOCMOD, she’s been a huge help in developing what we call
the Oil Particle Aggregate Model, or OPAMOD.”
Laboratory experiments conducted by fellow CSOMIO researchers at the
University of Delaware inform the OPAMOD code. The University of
Delaware team generates OSAs in jars and collects data about the
particles’ properties, composition, size, settling speed, and growth
rate. CSOMIO uses the OPAMOD within a comprehensive numerical model that
accounts for Gulf of Mexico currents, wave activity, Mississippi River
discharge, microbial oil consumption, and floc formation. The result of
the model simulation should be comparable to the oil budget estimated following Deepwater Horizon.
(L-R) Virginia Institute of Marine Science graduate students Jessica Turner, Cristin Wright, and Danielle Tarpley collect sediment samples using a GOMEX box corer on the York River estuary in Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Grace Massey)
The FLOCMOD and OPAMOD code that Danielle tested and uses will help COAWST users reveal how much of the budgeted Deepwater Horizon
oil was transported to the seafloor rather than being consumed by
microbes, accumulated in surface slicks, or more-widely dispersed by
currents. She explained that the model needs to be tested in multiple
scenarios, including a Deepwater Horizon oil spill hindcast,
similar deep-water releases that favor transport onto adjacent shallow
shelves and coastal areas, oil spills directly on the shelf or in
hypoxic environments, and spills during cold winter conditions or large
river discharge and/or storm events. “I hope the work I’m doing will
provide confidence in the use of the FLOCMOD model and the expansion
that allows both mud and oil to stick together,” she said. “The main
goal is to model the amount and location of the oil and mud that falls
to the bottom from an oil spill.”
Her Learning
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Ph.D. student Danielle Tarpley presents her dissertation research at the 2019 Biennial Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) Conference in Mobile, AL. (Photo by Fei Ye)
Working with CSOMIO, Danielle collaborated with scientists from other
institutions, including some whose work she had been following for
years. Danielle visited other labs and observed how they collected data,
gaining a better understanding about data comparison and factors that
can limit observational data’s usability, such as equipment capabilities
or sample source. Working with Dr. Harris helped Danielle become more
confident in her abilities as a scientist, and she recalled the moment
when she realized she was coming into her own as a researcher. “I
remember sitting in Dr. Harris’s office updating her on my progress,
when I realized that our conversation was more similar to a conversation
between colleagues than between teacher and student,” she said. “That
was definitely a turning point for me.”
Watching Dr. Harris teach, Danielle learned that regularly reviewing
and updating lecture material and giving feedback with empathy fostered a
better learning environment. She applied these skills when she mentored
a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student in the computer
skills needed to analyze conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) and
acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data from the Gulf of Mexico.
The data that the student collects will help build input files to
represent the Gulf of Mexico for the OPAMOD team. Danielle also worked
as an assistant high school earth science teacher and developed a
boardgame for the high school class using a water quality and
environmental science theme based on the Chesapeake Bay.
Danielle discovered that persistence pays off, especially when
preparing manuscripts. “I’ve learned that even though it may be
frustrating, it’s always important to double- and triple-check your work
with a critical eye,” she said. “Typos and minor formatting issues may
still happen, but the science will be strong.” She has enjoyed sharing
her research through local community outreach activities, such as the
VIMS Marine Science Day and at a “Scientist Walks into a Bar” event in
Williamsburg, Virginia.
(L-R) Virginia Institute of Marine Science post-doc Linlin Cui, Ph.D. student Jessica Turner, master’s student Cristin Wright, and Ph.D. student Danielle Tarpley man a booth at the Institute’s Marine Science Day in May 2019. (Provided by Danielle Tarpley)
She’s also learned the importance of participating in research early
in your college years through lab or field work, the REU program, or an
internship or fellowship. She found it helpful to ask graduate students
about their experiences and advice. “If you have the opportunity to
attend a conference as an undergraduate, do it. Move between schools,
because you’ll likely have a wider range of experiences, meet more
people, and build a wider network.”
Danielle accepted a tentative job offer with a government research
center that she anticipates will become an official offer once she
graduates.
Praise for Danielle
Dr. Harris explained that Danielle entered her lab with experience
limited to running numerical models and grew into a researcher who could
also modify the model code and track down tricky technical issues
within it. She praised Danielle’s tenacity and patience when tackling
difficult problems. “[When she ran into an obstacle], she just kept
trying different approaches until she finally got it to work,” she said.
“A lot of people would have given up, but she would try something, set
it aside for a few weeks, and then come back to it. Finally, after a
year, she hit on an approach that worked. That shows that she has what
it takes to do research, because we often do research because a problem
isn’t easy to solve.”
Dr. Harris also praised Danielle’s willingness to go above and
beyond, recalling an instance when Danielle conducted a two-week field
collection offshore of Myanmar for another project not related to her
research focus. “She has shown herself to be someone who, when asked to
do something, tries her best to fit it into her schedule,” said Dr.
Harris. “She took the two-week research cruise under very tough
conditions and did a great job taking sediments cores, ADCP data, and
CTD data. That work not only helped her gain field experience, but also
earned her co-authorship of an upcoming paper.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Danielle Tarpley 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 CSOMIO website to learn more about their work.
By Stephanie Ellis and Nilde Maggie Dannreuther. Contact sellis@ngi.msstate.edu for questions or comments.
************
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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
The goal of this project will be to use coagulation theory to develop a predictive, mechanistic model for how oil coagulates with particulate material in the marine environment. There is strong observational evidence that oil interacts with particles in the marine environment forming heterogeneous aggregates comprised of oil droplets, mineral particles such as clay and silica, and biological particles such as phytoplankton cells, zooplankton fecal pellets, and marine snow (large heterogeneous aggregates). Such oil-aggregates have been observed in surface waters and in sediment traps, indicating that oil contained in these aggregates can be transported vertically from the surface to the deep ocean, ultimately providing a flux of oil to the seafloor.
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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
Maya presents her preliminary findings at the 2016 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference. (Provided by Maya Morales-McDevitt)
Marine oil snow is the largest commuter of carbon to the seafloor and occurs when oil and marine particles aggregate and sink through the water column. Previous studies show that oil and dispersant significantly increased marine microorganisms’ production of exopolymeric substances (EPS), an extremely sticky goo that holds marine snow together. Maya Morales-McDevitt conducts mesocosm experiments investigating how certain naturally occurring nutrients influence EPS production and oil degradation.
Maya discovered her love for the marine environment while attending a science-based high school in Mexico City, Mexico. Watching trash and oil pollutants negatively affect Mexico’s marine ecosystems broke her heart and inspired her to pursue research that demonstrates the importance of regulating oil pollution. “Oil pollution regulations aren’t very clear in Mexico,” she explained. “I wanted to contribute something that would keep the environment clean and reduce our footprint in the ocean.”
Maya’s undergraduate biology thesis at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) México investigated how oil activity influences mussels. There were no active projects at the time, so she used the resources around her to conduct her own project. She asked her scuba instructor to take her on mussel-collecting excursions and washed dishes in various UAM and UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) laboratories in exchange for running analyses using their equipment. She presented her research at several international ecology conferences in Mexico. “When the person I was working with in Mexico put me in touch with Dr. Tony Knap, he told me to come [work in his lab], so I came,” she recalled. “Five or six months later, the ADDOMEx project started.”
Her Work
Maya builds a “baffled recirculation” tank to investigate accommodated oil fractions. (Provided by Maya Morales-McDevitt)
Maya used a 120 L tank to simulate the natural marine environment and created various mixtures of seawater, oil, dispersant. She examined each mixture once using the collected seawater’s indigenous nutrients (non-fertilized treatments) and again with added concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus (fertilized treatments). She collected samples from each treatment and compared the differences in oil degradation, marine snow generation, and chlorophyll concentrations.
Maya observed that nitrogen and phosphorus were biodegraded at similar rates, indicating that both are important to oil degradation processes. While nutrient degradation was high across all treatments including controls, nutrient enhanced treatments exhibited greater oil biodegradation than non-fertilized treatments. She found the strongest evidence of biodegradation in the diluted and concentrated oil plus dispersant treatments from the coastal water experiments. Oil plus dispersant treatments also experienced sharp reductions in chlorophyll and exhibited the greatest amounts of marine snow.
Maya’s research suggests that adding nutrients could enhance oil’s natural removal from the water column alongside weathering processes such as marine snow sedimentation and biodegradation. Her work also supports the hypothesis that dispersant enhanced EPS production and, thus, increased marine snow. Her findings will help inform decision makers about ways to lessen oil spills’ environmental impacts. “The initial interest in marine snow and EPS was the possibility that they aided oil removal, but the new train of thought is that the excessive marine snow related to Deepwater Horizon caused more hostile effects than good ones,” she said. “In order to prevent [these hostile effects], we need to understand how it works.”
Her Learning
Maya filters 50 mL of each treatment for inorganic dissolved nutrient analyses. (Provided by Maya Morales-McDevitt)
Maya’s research showed her that scientists must consider the chemistry, physics, and biology of an ecosystem to understand it. Once their knowledge about these factors is improved, they are better equipped to find answers to their research questions. She remarked that one of the best ways to do this is to collaborate with other scientists. “We have physicists and chemists and biologists at our ADDOMEx All-Hands meetings who are all trying to solve problems. I think that has been one of my greatest experiences and the biggest lessons that I’ve learned in my master’s program,” she said.
Maya is particularly thankful for the support that she and other students received from the ADDOMEx team. She is most proud of how she and her team designed and built a baffled recirculation tank from scratch for their experiment. “It was very moving the way the PIs were always supporting us, pushing us to do more and do better and giving us all the advice that they could,” she said. One of her favorite memories is the struggle to fit fifteen researchers into the small, dark workspace surrounding the tanks. “I needed to be close to the tanks under very low light to take my samples. I ended up working in the men’s bathroom next to the dark room in order to take them! I will never forget my ‘laboratory’ in the men’s facilities,” she laughed.
Her Future
Shortly after graduating, Maya began a laboratory technician position with Texas A&M University’s Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG) and hopes to begin a Ph.D. program in 2018. She says that persistence is the key to her success and advises students pursuing science to focus on their goals, even when the road is difficult. “You don’t need to be a genius or the most-outstanding student in your class, you just need to be determined,” she said. “If you fight enough, read enough, and do enough research and lab work, you will get wherever it is you want to go.”
Maya and fellow ADDOMEx members on the last day of the mesocosm experiments held at Texas A&M University – Galveston in July 2016. (Provided by Maya Morales-McDevitt)
Praise for Maya
Dr. Knap reflected that Maya’s work building mesocosms and running experiments often involved late nights and long days. While working in his lab, Maya learned to operate various instruments including fluorometers, gas chromatographs, and auto-analyzers, which he said could often be a highly involved process. “Maya is a hard-worker and very cheerful individual,” he said. “She is a great team player, and it was a pleasure to have her involved with our programs at GERG.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Maya Morales-McDevitt 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 ADDOMEx website to learn more about their work.
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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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
Dr. Ian Church trains Lauren to operate the Multibeam on the R/V Point Sur during the first leg of the CONCORDE Fall Campaign. (Photo credit: Heather Dippold)
Oil droplets can attach to tiny sediment particles suspended in the water column, causing them to sink to the seafloor where they can linger for a long time. Sediment grain size influences if and how oil droplets are resuspended into the water column. Larger particles sink faster and are more difficult to resuspend in the water column than smaller particles.
Lauren Quas uses acoustic sonar to map different sediment grain sizes and help understand and predict the behavior of oil in seafloor sediments. Knowing where different grain sizes are concentrated in the northern Gulf of Mexico seafloor can help scientists evaluate resuspension rates in those areas and estimate where oil might end up.
Lauren and Chief Engineer Joshua Jansen supervise the lowering of the multibeam pole into the water. (Photo credit: Alison Deary, Carla Culpepper, and Kelia Axler)
As a child, Lauren loved being outdoors and collecting rocks and seashells. Her family’s vacations often involved trips to the beach, which sparked her love for the ocean. Encouraged by her parents to see the world, Lauren spent almost a decade during her high school and college years visiting countries in nearly every continent on the globe. No matter where she went, she found that the landscapes and coastlines were the most awe-inspiring parts of her travels. “It is in these places that you realize how small we are as humans and yet how big our impact is on the world,” she said.
The multibeam sonar attached to the pole mount off the side of the R/V Point Sur. (Photo credit: Ian Church)
While completing her bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Memphis, Lauren interned at the University of Memphis Groundwater Institute conducting visual stream measurements. Knowing that she wanted to pursue a career that would combine her passion for adventure and travel with her love for the ocean, she enrolled in the University of Southern Mississippi’s Geological Oceanography program. She switched her major to hydrographic science after working with her advisor, Dr. Ian Church, and seeing the career possibilities hydrography offers. She conducts studies with Dr. Church and CONCORDE’s hydrographic research team to understand the dynamics of oil and ocean sediment.
The Allen Reef Liberty Ship (above) and Casino Magic Barge (below) are examples of seafloor targets researchers can map using multibeam sonar. The sunken vessels are part of fish havens in the northern Gulf of Mexico. (Photo credit: Ian Church, Lauren Quas)
Her Work
Lauren operates a multibeam sonar to map the seafloor’s appearance and depth and quantifies the grain size of sediments using acoustic backscatter (a sound wave’s intensity after hitting the seafloor and returning to the sonar). A higher intensity return indicates that the seafloor sediment has large grain sizes, while a lower intensity return means it is composed of small grain sizes. She also collects sediment samples during research cruises using a sediment multi-corer, which removes the top 5 – 10 cm of sediment from the seabed. The sediment samples are brought back to her team’s lab at Stennis Space Center, where she analyzes them for grain size.
Lauren correlates the grain sizes depicted in the multibeam sonar data with the laboratory grain analyses to graph where different sediment sizes are located. Her sediment and backscatter data are important inputs for CONCORDE’s ocean models, which incorporate physical, chemical, and biological field data. Future scientists and responders will be able to use these models to predict and interpret how future oil spills could impact the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Lauren uses a multicorer like this one to collect seabed sediment samples. (Photo credit: CONCORDE)
Her Learning
Lauren’s first research cruise began two months after she entered her Hydrographic Science program. She recalled being intimidated at jumping into field work because of her limited background in hydrography. However, Dr. Church used the first leg of the cruise to teach her about the equipment and data processing programs, and Lauren then taught another student how to do so. “The knowledge I gained within such a short time is all due to the opportunities provided to me by Dr. Church and the CONCORDE project,” said Lauren. “This consortium is full of some of the most incredible, hard-working people I have ever met. It has been incredibly valuable to me as a young scientist to watch and work with this team.”
Lauren describes how the multibeam sonar transmits real-time bathymetry data to the computers onboard the R/V Point Sur. (Photo credit: Alison Deary, Carla Culpepper, and Kelia Axler)
Her Future
Lauren hopes to complete her master’s degree in August 2017 and begin her career as a field hydrographer. “The world’s oceans need to be mapped and I want to have a part in that,” said Lauren. “I am excited about the advances in technology.” She recommended that students considering a career in science get hands-on experiences to discover their passions. “I started out as a geologist, and now I am a hydrographer. If you have an interest, get your hands dirty. Volunteer or find an internship. You need the fundamentals taught in the classroom, but there is nothing like experiencing what a day in the life of a scientist is like.”
Lauren (center, gray jacket) and the CONCORDE field team onboard R/V Point Sur for the consortium’s Spring Campaign. (Provided by Lauren Quas)
Praise for Lauren
Dr. Ian Church described Lauren as an intelligent, hardworking, and innovative student whose eagerness to assist and teach others has made her a mentor to her peers. He emphasized the determination and problem-solving skills she exhibited in her leadership role aboard the R/V PointSur during CONCORDE’s recent seabed mapping campaign. Lauren oversaw the successful mobilization of vessel sonar equipment, system troubleshooting, calibration, and data acquisition, processing, and analysis, which Church called “an incredible and notable accomplishment for anyone, let alone a graduate student with less than a year’s experience.”
Church said that Lauren’s enthusiasm is contagious and she takes pride in her research. “She is a naturally talented researcher with a drive to discover and produce innovative solutions to complex problems – I could not think of a person more deserving of the GoMRI Scholar award.”
The GoMRI community embraces bright and dedicated students like Lauren Quas 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 CONCORDE website to learn more about their work.
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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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
A photograph of oil-marine snow aggregates at the water’s surface in the Gulf of Mexico, May 2011. (Photo by Andrew Warren)
Evidence suggests that when oil interacts with particles in the marine environment, it can form larger, rapidly sinking particles called marine snow.
These oily aggregates are often transported from the sea surface to the seafloor. The snow falls more like a heavy blizzard than a light flurry for large discharges such as the Deepwater Horizon spill and could present a pathway for oil to enter the food web as it descends. Recent research indicates that oil transported to the seafloor is an important piece in calculating the oil budget. However, oil transported via marine snow is rarely incorporated into oil transport models, which focus on the distribution of oil by currents.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative recently awarded Dr. Adrian Burd a grant to develop a model with parameters that can predict how oil will interact with other particles present in the marine environment. Burd’s team will then use this model to investigate how these interactions affect oil sedimentation to the deep ocean. Burd explained, “It is important to understand the mechanisms behind oil-particle interactions and processes because, although these aggregates remove oil from surface waters, they also cause oil to be deposited on the ocean floor.”
The schematic (at right) depicts the interactions between oil, mineral particles, and marine snow in the water column. Oil droplets in the water column can create aggregates with mineral particles and marine snow. These large particles rapidly sink through the water column carrying the oil with them, creating a process that transports oil from the surface to the deep ocean. Sinking particles that pass through sub-surface oil layers can accumulate and carry even more oil to the ocean floor. Meanwhile, oil that reaches the surface can form large mucus-oil aggregates which can also subsequently sink to the ocean floor. (Figure by Adrian Burd).
The researchers plan to incorporate oil droplets, mineral particles, microbial mucus flocs, and the relevant processes affecting them (such as weathering and microbial production) into an existing coagulation model. First, they will develop a surface model extending from the ocean surface to 140 meters depth and begin constructing parameters that will predict the microbial-mucus-oil aggregates’ sizes and the rates at which they form and sink through the water column. Then, they will extend the model through the whole water column and incorporate the effects of oil-particle interactions and oil sedimentation rates.
The full model will allow the team to predict how much oil is trapped in these sinking aggregates and how rapidly it settles under a wide range of conditions. Burd emphasized the utility of this model, “This information will be useful not only to understanding the fate of oil in water but also to first-responders, who will need to know how the oil is distributed in the water.”
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 http://gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
