Retrieving Sample Cylinders into Gulf - Multicorer sampling operation aboard the RV Gyre.
(Credit - with permission from: Texas A&M-University Corpus Christi, Sandra Arismendez.)
The deepsea soft-sediment ecosystem in the immediate area of the 2010's Deepwater Horizon well head blowout and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will likely take decades to recover from the spill's impacts, according to a scientific paper reported in the online
scientific journal PLoS One.
The paper is the 1st to give comprehensive results of the spill's effect on deepwater
communities at the base of the Gulf's food chain, in its softbottom muddy habitats, specifically
looking at biological composition and chemicals at the same time at the same location.
"This is not yet a complete picture," said Cynthia Cooksey, NOAA's National Centers for Coastal
Ocean Science lead scientist for the spring 2011 cruise to collect additional data from the sites
sampled in fall 2010. "We are now in the process of analyzing data collected from a subsequent
cruise in the spring of 2011. Those data will not be accessible for another year, but will also
inform how we look at conditions over time."
"As the principal investigators, we were tasked with determining what impacts might have occurred to the sea floor from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," said Paul Montagna, Ph.D., Endowed Chair for Ecosystems and Modeling at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi. "We developed an innovative approach to combine tried and true classical statistical techniques with state of the art mapping technologies to create a map of the footprint of the oil spill."
Sample Cylinders into Gulf - Multicorer sampling operation in Gulf of Mexico on the RV Gyre.
(Credit - with permission from: Texas A&M-University Corpus Christi, Sandra Arismendez.)
"Normally, when we investigate offshore drilling sites, we find pollution within 300 to 600 yards
from the site," said Montagna. "This time it was nearly 2 miles from the wellhead, with identifiable impacts in excess of 10 miles away. The effect on bottom of the vast underwater plume is something, which until now, no one was able to map. This study shows the devastating effect the spill had on the sea floor itself, and demonstrates the damage to important natural resources."
"The tremendous biodiversity of meiofauna in the deepsea area of the Gulf of Mexico we studied has been reduced dramatically," said Jeff Baguley, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno expert on meiofauna, small invertebrates that range in size from 0.042 to 0.300 millimeters in size that live in both marine and fresh water. "Nematode worms have become the dominant group at sites we sampled that were impacted by the oil. So though the overall number of meiofauna may not have changed much, it's that we've lost the incredible biodiversity."
The oil spill and plume covered almost 360 square miles with the most severe reduction of
biological abundance and biodiversity impacting an area about nine square miles around the wellhead, and moderate effects seen 57 square miles around the wellhead.
The research team, which included members from University of Nevada,Reno, Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi, NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and representatives from BP, is conducting the research for the Technical Working Group of the NOAAdirected Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
Processing Core Sample Cylinder from Gulf - Rick Kalke Harte Research Institute processing multicorer sediment sample aboard the RV Gyre.
(Credit - with permission from: Texas A&M-University Corpus Christi, Sandra Arismendez.)
Others working on the study with Montagna, Baguley, and Cooksey were N.O.A.A. scientists, Ian
Hartwell and Jeffrey Hyland.
The PLoS One paper can be found online.
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About HRI: The Harte Research Institute (HRI), an endowed research component of Texas A&M
UniversityCorpus Christi, is dedicated to advancing the longterm sustainable use and conservation
of the Gulf of Mexico. Expertise at the HRI includes the integration of social and natural
sciences, including policy, economics, ecosystems, fisheries, biodiversity and conservation, and
geospatial science. The HRI is made possible by an endowment from the Ed Harte family. For more
information, go to harteresearchinstitute.org and hrif.org.
About UNR: Founded in 1874 as Nevada's landgrant university, the University of Nevada, Reno ranks
in the top tier of best national universities. With in excess of 18,000 students, the University
is driven to contribute a culture of student success, worldimproving research and outreach that
enhances communities and business. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University
has the system's biggest research plan and is home to the state's medical school. With outreach
and education programs in all Nevada counties and home to one of the biggest studyabroad
consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world.
About NOAA's NCCOS: NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science is the coastal science
office for NOAA's National Ocean Service. Visit the NCCOS website or follow our blog to
learn more about our research.
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.
