Gulf of Mexico monitoring continues

Seven years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, UGA researchers will embark on a new expedition to the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico:

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the deaths of 11 oil rig workers and ultimately the largest marine oil spill in history. As this environmental disaster recedes into history, researchers from institutions across the U.S. continue to study its enduring ecological impacts.

One of these research teams will embark on a 12-day expedition in the Gulf on June 11 to investigate the impacts of oil, methane and chemical dispersants on the deep sea ecosystem-in particular deep sea corals. Deep sea corals are ecologically important and provide vital habitat for marine life, including commercially important species like shrimp, crab and grouper.

The scientists are part of the University of Georgia-led Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas to the Gulf research consortium, one of several research consortia supported by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

"Large oil and gas injections to an ecosystem, such as that resulting from the Deepwater Horizon accident, cause both immediate and long term impacts," said project director Samantha Joye, Athletic Association Professor in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "This upcoming research expedition is a critical component of ECOGIG's long term monitoring program."

The team will send a remotely operated vehicle to depths of over 1,000 meters and use high-resolution cameras mounted to capture hundreds of still images of corals they have been monitoring yearly since shortly after the spill in 2010. These photographic data will be collected and analyzed- along with images from prior expeditions-to document the spill's impacts and improve understanding of the mechanisms that influence coral recovery and survival.

Few resource extraction catastrophes have galvanized public attention like the Deepwater Horizon explosion and leak. A horrified world watched as an inextinguishable fire burned for two days until the rig sank; the spill was finally capped on July 15, a three-month leak the resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. waters. The economic and ecological peril to the region was obvious, but the long-term danger after attention moved elsewhere is what makes the work of researchers in the time since - monitoring the deep-sea environment for lingering impacts as well as signs of resilience - so very crucial. The commitment of scientists, and public institutions, to inform the public about the health of the ecosystem after such a trauma remains unwavering. We applaud the efforts of Dr. Joye and her many colleagues working to protect this delicate environment that provides so much to so many.

Image: Samantha Joye