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2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference

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2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference Papers and Poster Abstracts Sunday, January 26 o Session 001: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy o Session 002: Data Management and Informatics Supporting Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Monday, January 27 o Session 003: Impact of Gulf of Mexico Physical Processes on Chemical and Biological Transport o Session 004: Integrated Understanding of the Impacts of the DWH Oil Spill on Fisheries: Exposure Vectors, Biological-Physiological Effects and Abundance of Fisheries Populations o Session 006: Socio-Economic Analysis of Ecosystem Change: From Baselines to Catastrophic Events o Session 007: Coastal Ecosystem Couplings 3 years after the DWH oil spill Tuesday, January 28 o Session 005: Fate and Transport of Oil Spill Residues and their Impacts on Nearshore Coastal Environments o Session 008: Advances in Dispersant Science and Technology: Molecular Mechanisms, Novel Dispersant Systems, and Environmental Impacts o Session 009: Public Health, Ecology and Society in the Context of Resilience: a Systems Approach to Assessing the Potential Impact of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill o Session 010: Current and Future Ecosystem-Monitoring Strategies in the Gulf of Mexico: Spanning Disciplines, Platforms, and Affiliations Session Posters o Session 001 Posters o Session 002 Posters o Session 003 Posters o Session 004 Posters o Session 005 Posters o Session 006 Posters o Session 007 Posters o Session 008 Posters o Session 009 Posters o Session 010 Posters Session 001: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy Session: 001 Date: Sunday, January 26 - 1:00 PM Room: 203 (Convention Center) Track: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy (Half Day Session) Type: Oral An Education at Elmer's Island: How I spent $2K on CAT scans Presenter: Christopher Reddy WHOI Authors: C. Reddy; WHOI, Woods Hole, MA. Abstract: I was fooled by the passion and fear of local inhabitants and visitors to Elmer's Island (LA) in the summer of 2011. While sampling for oiled-sand patties, numerous folk encouraged me to collect large pieces of tar (about 30 x 20 x 5 cm). They convinced me that the latter was from the DWH disaster. The samples were so unusual that my lab group immediately began in depth study including taking CAT scans. Eventually, we "fingerprinted" the oil, something we should have done first, and found that the sample was from Macondo oil and likely from shallow water reservoirs. The lesson learned was that I was so passionately persuaded that I accepted the myth. It was that easy but hopefully avoidable in the future. Session: 001 Date: Sunday, January 26 - 1:15 PM Room: 203 (Convention Center) Track: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy (Half Day Session) Type: Oral Oil in the Gulf: This is Not Alaska! Presenter: Christina Simoniello Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Authors: C. Simoniello; Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System, based at USF CMS, Saint Petersburg, FL. Abstract: From the Education and Outreach (E/O) perspective, the most prolonged misconception about the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill is that it’s analogous to the Exxon Valdez spill. While one fundamental commonality exists--copious amounts of oil were introduced into the environment, therein ends the similarity. The two spills could hardly be more different. The nature of the spills, the conditions under which oil has been transported and degraded, and the communities impacted are radically different. Additionally, with a two-decade separation, the technologies to address the disasters differ greatly. Having a unique perspective from working on assessment and mitigation during the Alaska spill, and on E/O issues following the DWH spill, Simoniello will share the most common misconceptions she encounters working with a wide range of audiences. From students and educators to recreational fishermen and boaters, to non- profit organizations and emergency responders, the presentation will identify areas where consistent, science-based messages, fit for public consumption, are needed. As Coordinator of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Education and Outreach Council and Steering Committee Member of the GOMA Environmental Education Network, Simoniello offers excellent opportunities to disseminate quality information, because one other commonality exists between spills. Given the lingering unknown impacts, there is tremendous need for coordinated E/O efforts. Session: 001 Date: Sunday, January 26 - 1:30 PM Room: 203 (Convention Center) Track: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy (Half Day Session) Type: Oral Modeling and Predicting the Transport of Oil in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits Presenter: Arthur J Mariano U of Miami/RSMAS Authors: A. J. Mariano; U of Miami/RSMAS, Miami, FL. Abstract: This talk will emphasize the difficulty in predicting where oil moves during an oil spill and the long term fate of the oil after the spill. Prediction difficulties are due to the interplay of (1) errors in the initial conditions of where the oil is; (2) imperfect numerical circulation models for ocean currents and winds; (3) sparse, inconsistent, noisy ocean and atmospheric data sets needed for the numerical model simulations; (4) bad data blending techniques; and (5) inherent nonlinear fluid dynamics of ocean and atmospheric motion. Thus the time scale for predicting surface oil motion is on the order of one day to one week in the Gulf of Mexico, and predictions of oil transport and dispersion made with running numerical simulation models using climatological data sets are of very little value. Session: 001 Date: Sunday, January 26 - 1:45 PM Room: 203 (Convention Center) Track: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy (Half Day Session) Type: Oral Detecting Impacts to Animal-Sediment Relationships from the Deepwater Horizon Accident: A Worm’s Eye View Presenter: Joseph Germano Germano & Associates, Inc. Authors: J. Germano; Germano & Associates, Inc., Bellevue, WA. Abstract: The release of oil from the MC-252 wellhead that started on April 20, 2010 and continued for another 86 days along with the accident response efforts (drilling of the two different relief wells, injection of “top kill” muds) deposited additional drilling muds, some with entrained oil, on the surrounding habitat and benthic community near the well. One of the assessment techniques used to measure the extent of that release and deposit was a combination of sediment profile and plan-view (SPI/PV) imaging. Two SPI/PV surveys were performed 12 and 18 months after the accident occurred. Dense mats of colonial thiophilic bacteria that are diagnostic of organic enrichment and commonly found around hydrothermal vents and naturally-occurring seeps were documented around the wellhead out to 1300 meters in addition to dense colonies of opportunistic polychaetes. While the areas of impact measured from the physical, chemical, and biological lines of evidence photo-documented from the SPI/PV images varied slightly from 1.3 - 2.1 km from the wellhead, the most surprising finding was the widespread occurrence of infaunal deposit feeders, which are usually one of the least pollution tolerant and last to appear in the infaunal recovery sequence that has been repeatedly documented in the literature from shallower waters worldwide. Session: 001 Date: Sunday, January 26 - 2:00 PM Room: 203 (Convention Center) Track: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy (Half Day Session) Type: Oral “It isn’t over until it’s over”: fostering public understanding of the potential long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill to ecosystem health Presenter: Joel E Kostka Georgia Institute of Technology Authors: J. E. Kostka; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. Abstract: Ecologists are investigating the environmental consequences of petroleum hydrocarbon released from the deeper areas of the Gulf of Mexico on living marine resources and ecosystem health. The focus is on the northern Gulf which exhibits many hotspots of biological diversity, contains the highest biological productivity, and has tremendous economic value. For many ecosystems in the Gulf, little background information has been collected on food webs and ecosystem functioning. Thus, in order to evaluate and predict the impacts of an oil spill, we need to first understand how the Gulf works. Public perception, especially in communities that are not directly on the coast, is that “the spill is over.” Many folks ask, “Was the oil spill really such a big deal after all?” Media attention is often centered on the very visible, acute effects to ecosystems such as the smothering of shorebirds with surface oil from slicks. However, longer term or chronic effects to ecosystems that you can’t see, such as to plankton or deepsea corals, often receive less attention. This presentation will address myths and misconceptions regarding effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil discharge to ecosystems of the northern Gulf. We will explore published research on acute effects and discuss ongoing research to assess the long term effects. The goal will be to build partnerships between scientists and outreach specialists to increase public awareness on the ecosystem effects of oil spills. Session: 001 Date: Sunday, January 26 - 2:15 PM Room: 203 (Convention Center) Track: Setting the record straight: Debunking myths and misconceptions about oil in the Gulf and promoting ocean literacy (Half Day Session) Type: Oral Vocabulary of DWH Oil Spill Seafood Toxicology: Optimizing Communications and Comprehension for Gulf of Mexico Coastal Residents Presenter: Andrew S Kane University of Florida, Aquatic Pathobiology Laboratories Authors: A.
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