News

Study Analyzes Trends and Gaps in Oil Spill Literature Since 1968

April 25, 2017

Researchers surveyed oil spill studies between 1968 and 2015 to characterize the field and describe changes. The team found that, despite its episodic nature, oil spill research is a rapidly expanding field with a growth rate greater than science as a whole. Research attention shifted dramatically to the Gulf of Mexico following Deepwater Horizon, rising from 2% of studies in 2004-2008 to 61% in 2014-2015, making Deepwater Horizon the most studied oil spill. The analyses provided insights into research trends and gaps, particularly a long-

Dr. Zhanfei Liu presents at the South Texas Coastal Zone Area Committee Meeting. Photo by Lalitha Asirvadam

DROPPS Hosts South Texas Coastal Zone Area Committee Meeting

February 15, 2017

Yesterday, February 14, 2017, DROPPS hosted the South Texas Coastal Zone Area Committee Meeting at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas. These meetings are held quarterly for the response community to update and discuss response plans, case studies of recent spills, overviews of upcoming and past trainings, and more. Yesterday's meeting featured talks from the

Dr. Lin Zhao prepares oil-particle aggregates (OPAs) in the lab of New Jersey Institute of Technology. Photo provided by L. Zhao

Study Develops Predictive Model for Oil-Particle Aggregate Formation

February 6, 2017

Scientists developed a new model to predict how much oil from a spill might bind to sediments or organic matter in the water column. The model, A-DROP, introduces a formula that accounts for oil stabilization by particles, particle hydrophobicity, and oil-particle size ratio. The model advances our understanding about the natural removal of oil and contributes knowledge towards development of oil spill mitigation techniques that incorporate oil-particle aggregates. The researchers published their findings in Marine Pollution Bulletin:

Sarah Cosgrove at the CITGO Oil Spill Drill

Responding for Science: UTMSI Scientists Participate in CITGO Oil Spill Response Drill

December 9, 2016

Scientists from the Dispersion Research on Oil: Physics and Plankton Studies (DROPPS) research consortium at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute were on site to observe a recent two-day drill that was organized by the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery. The drill involved simulating a 55,000 barrel spill of sweet crude oil from the Corpus Christi CITGO refinery which made its way into the shipping channel via Tule Lake. Drs. Hernando Bacosa and Sarah Cosgrove now have intimate knowledge about who to contact and how to participate in sampling

Study Details Underwater Oil Plume Formation and Droplet Size Distribution

August 10, 2016

Scientists simulated an underwater blowout to analyze the formation, path, and duration of oil plumes. They noted that the simulated blowout formed two plumes, one due to momentum and plume buoyancy and another due to the buoyancy of individual oil droplets separating from the first plume.

They also observed that oil plumes form through a two-step process: first, relatively large ligaments of connected oil develop a few inches from the release point in a process called the “primary breakup” and are then entrained back into the plume for their “secondary breakup” into droplets. They

An Oil Spill Science Legacy

June 8, 2016

There have been two large scale oil spills over the past 4 decades in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ixtoc I spill in 1979 off the coast of Carmen, Mexico released 3.5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf, and the Macondo wellhead blowout off the coast of Louisiana, USA in 2010 released 3.19 million barrels of oil into the Gulf. Both of these incidents resulted in scientists coming together to gather the data needed to understand the fate of the oil, the disturbances it caused to the ecosystem, and its impacts on humans. One of the largest drivers of research efforts surrounding the 2010

Study Shows Raindrops Push Oil Spill Pollutants into Air and Below Sea Surface

February 9, 2016

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University used high-speed imaging and digital holography in laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of raindrops falling on a simulated oil slick.

They observed an increase in the number of ejected droplets when the oil slick was introduced. The number of aerosolized oil droplets increased as

Study Quantifies Photooxidation and Biodegradation of Surface Oil

September 3, 2015

Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin assessed photooxidation and biodegradation rates on different hydrocarbon groups.

They found that photooxidation was the main driver for degrading aromatic hydrocarbons, and biodegradation was the key process controlling the degradation of saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes). Exposure to sunlight, however, inhibited the biodegradation of the branched alkanes, pristane and phytane.The researchers published their findings in the April 2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin:

How Jellyfish Break Down Oil After a Spill

July 30, 2015

Jellyfish aren't the passive creatures you think they are. While they appear to simply drift through the ocean, letting the currents take them where they may, they can also swim up and down in the water column. With weak muscles, they squeeze their bells to eject trapped water, which propels them forward. Click to read more.

Research sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

Settlement by Oil Company BP to Support Gulf Coast Research

July 2, 2015

Oil company BP announced it would settle a number of federal and state lawsuits with plans to pay over $1 billion annually for the next 18 years toward research, clean-up and restoration along the Gulf Coast. The University of Texas at Austin's Marine Science Institute is leading one of the research consortiums on deck to receive support. Click the text for the entire article.