Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Open Access Articles

Evolution Of The Optical Properties Of Seawater Influenced By The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill In The Gulf Of Mexico, Zhengzhen Zhou, Laodong Guo

Faculty Publications

The fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) technique coupled with parallel factor (PARAFAC) modeling and measurements of bulk organic carbon and other optical properties were used to characterize the oil components released from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and to examine the chemical evolution and transformation of oil in the water column. Seawater samples were collected from the Gulf of Mexico during October 2010 and October 2011, three months and fifteen months, respectively, after the oil spill was stopped. Together with previous results from samples collected during the oil spill in May/June 2010, these time series samples …

Go to article

Artificial Modifications Of The Coast In Response To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Quick Solutions Or Long-Term Liabilities?, Marisa Luisa Martínez, Rusty A. Feagin, Kevin M. Yeager, John Day, Robert Costanza, Jim A. Harris, Richard J. Hobbs, Jorge López-Portillo, Ian J. Walker, Eric Higgs, Patricia Moreno-Casasola, Julio Sheinbaum, Alejandro Yáñez-Arancibia

Faculty Publications

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill threatened many coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico during the spring and summer of 2010. Mitigation strategies included the construction of barrier sand berms, the restriction or blocking of inlets, and the diversion of freshwater from rivers to the coastal marshes and into the ocean, in order to flush away the oil, on the premise that these measures could reduce the quantity of oil reaching sensitive coastal environments such as wetlands or estuaries. These projects result in changes to the ecosystems that they were intended to protect. Long-term effects include alterations of the hydrological …

Go to article

The Weathering Of Oil After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Insights From The Chemical Composition Of The Oil From The Sea Surface, Salt Marshes And Sediments, Zhanfei Liu, Jiqing Liu, Qingzhi Zhu, Wei Wu

Faculty Publications

The oil released during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill may have both short- and long-time impacts on the northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystems. An understanding of how the composition and concentration of the oil are altered by weathering, including chemical, physical and biological processes, is needed to evaluate the oil toxicity and impact on the ecosystem in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This study examined petroleum hydrocarbons in oil mousse collected from the sea surface and salt marshes, and in oil deposited in sediments adjacent to the wellhead after the DWH oil spill. Oil mousses were collected …

Go to article

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Evolution Of The Optical Properties Of Seawater Influenced By The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill In The Gulf Of Mexico, Zhengzhen Zhou, Laodong Guo

Faculty Publications

Faculty Publications

The Weathering Of Oil After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Insights From The Chemical Composition Of The Oil From The Sea Surface, Salt Marshes And Sediments, Zhanfei Liu, Jiqing Liu, Qingzhi Zhu, Wei Wu

Faculty Publications