VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The Mud and Blood Cruise – Part Four: Tracking Contamination
The “Mud and Blood Cruise” is a two-week research mission that collects and analyzes fish and soil samples near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
This week, the “mud team” launches a device that collects sediment samples from the sea floor using a multi-corer. As much as 10% of Deepwater Horizon oil spilled now covers vast areas of the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. By taking sediment cores in the same locations as the long-line fishing operation, the researchers are able to relate the evolution of contaminants over time in the sediments to the changes that are seen in the fish.
PODCAST OF THE WEEK
GulfCast: The LASER Cruise: Rough Weather
The Gulf of Mexico isn’t the stormiest place in the world, but 2016 was an El Nino year and several severe storms that created waves as high as 10 feet rocked the LASER crew. Each member reacted to the extreme conditions differently. Getting seasick together is quite a bonding experience.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Karen Malone Uses Engineering Skills to Put Pressure on Oil
The Deepwater Horizon spill highlighted new challenges and scientific gaps in our understanding of and ability to respond to deep-water oil releases. Of particular importance is how highly pressurized oil and gas behaves in a deep-sea environment. Ph.D. candidate Karen Malone uses her engineering background to build high-pressure tanks that replicate deep-sea conditions in a laboratory so she can observe how pressure and temperature influence the behavior of oil droplets. Her findings will help responders and researchers predict the behavior of oil and gas in the event of another deep-sea spill.
Photo courtesy of Hamburg University of Technology.
Watch the Sizzle for Dispatches – 2
A sequel to the Emmy Award-winning documentary, “Dispatches From The Gulf 2: Research • Innovation • Discovery” shares remarkable stories about the global team of scientists who continue to study the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill — the largest in U.S. history. Their unprecedented mission to comprehensively research its environmental impacts and find new ways to ease the devastation of future oil spills has lead to surprising discoveries. Click here to watch.
Get the Free DVD
Dispatches From The Gulf: Science, Community, and Recovery in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill is the 14th episode in the Journey To Planet Earth TV series. DVDs are available free of charge to educators, librarians, homeschoolers, and community activists. Click here to fill out a request.
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Dispatches is made possible by a generous grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI).
Additional funding provided by the Wallace Genetic Foundation and the Farvue Foundation.
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