Gulfcast: Dispatches From The Gulf

Oceanographer Kendra Daly tells the riveting tale of barely surviving an emergency research cruise that responded to the Ixtoc blowout in 1979. Violent storms, toxic fumes, and oil fires plagued the trip. Dr. Daly swore she’d never return to the Gulf of Mexico and would certainly never respond to another spill. And then Deepwater Horizon happened, and she had to go back. This episode was recorded during a live event hosted by The Story Collider: Stories About Science.

Dr. Ernst Peebles (University of South Florida) remembers his brother’s teeth turning black from working in a Louisiana oil refinery. Through this and other stories, Peebles illustrates his personal connection to the health of the Gulf of Mexico. Hear more of his accounts of growing up surrounded by petroleum production. This episode was recorded during a live event hosted by The Story Collider: Stories About Science.

Today’s insights are from Jim Verhulst, a journalist and editor at the Tampa Bay Times. Jim has spent his career helping readers make sense of current events, often through the lens of science. But when it came to conceptualizing the magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Jim himself needed some scientific help. This episode was recorded during a live event hosted by The Story Collider: Stories About Science.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Marquéz, which follows an unbreakable cycle of misfortune in a fictional town called Macondo. Macondo is also the name of the oil well where the Deepwater Horizon rig was drilling. Colombian-born oceanographer Dr. Isabel Romero relates the misfortunes in that novel to the disastrous effects of the oil spills she’s seen in Colombia, the Gulf of Mexico, and beyond. This episode was recorded during a live event hosted by The Story Collider: Stories About Science.

During an event with The Story Collider: Stories About Science, Dr. Steve Murawski (USF/C-IMAGE) gives a lively and harrowing account of his personal experiences during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He also shares highlights from his 40-plus year career as a fisheries scientist.

Go behind the scenes for the making of the Emmy Award-winning documentary “Dispatches From The Gulf.” Marilyn Weiner, executive producer, shares how the story took shape, the unexpected discoveries, the amazing collaborations between scientists, and the joy that surfaced from the work being done. Here’s a highlight from the intriguing interview with Joan Michelson of Green Connections Radio. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 The complete interview (32 min.) can be heard on Green Connections Radio by visting: http://www.greenconnectionsradio.com/movies-environment-marilyn-weiner-screenscope-inc/

Dr. Felicia Coleman, director of the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, is often asked if the Deepwater Horizon disaster is this the worst thing that’s ever happened in the Gulf of Mexico. She is clear that the oil spill just added problems to a long list of existing ones, pushing the Gulf towards an ecological tipping point. These obstacles need to be overcome to ensure a resilient and sustainable Gulf. |||||||||||||||||||| NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

Sandy Nguyen runs Coastal Communities (http://ccc-nola.org), a non-profit that was established to help the people of Southeast Louisiana who were immediately impacted by Deepwater Horizon – particularly commercial fishermen – start the psychological and economic recovery process. The majority of Sandy’s clients are Vietnamese, and she shares how their culture has responded.

Renowned microbiologist, oceanographer, and Chair of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), Dr. Rita Colwell was met with pushback as a woman starting her career in science. She heard things like, “Oh, we don’t waste fellowships on women.” And “Add a man. It’ll give it credibility.” She fought back and quickly disproved the precept that there are no career options for women in the field. She has risen to the top of academia and is an inspiration to aspiring scientists. Here’s a highlight from the fascinating interview Dr. Colwell gave to Joan Michelson of Green Connections Radio. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The complete interview (37 min.) can be heard on Green Connections Radio by visting: http://www.greenconnectionsradio.com/gulf-oil-spill-lessons-career-advice-dr-rita-colwell

Joe Montoya is a professor of biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Growing up in a military family, he had the opportunity to travel and experience different ocean environments around the world. His resulting fascination led to a career in oceanography. Here, Dr. Montoya talks about being part of the scientific team that conducted the earliest Deepwater Horizon experiments just after the well was capped in September 2010. NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

The original television series “Star Trek” and NASA’s “Race to the Moon” inspired Tamay Özgökmen to become a scientist. Today, he is a Professor of Oceanography at the University of Miami. Like Mr. Spock, Dr. Özgökmen prefers to use quantitative, scientific methods to interpret the natural environment. He shares his thoughts on the benefits of science for young students. NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Dr. Dean Grubbs and his team of oceanographers have conducted a series of intense 24/7 research cruises in order to generate the biggest survey of deepwater sharks ever done in the Gulf of Mexico. The deep-sea species of the Gulf have shown signs of recovery, but there are still issues. And every cruise reveals something new. |||||||||||||||||||| NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

“It was frightening. We just really had no idea what to expect. There was a high degree of fear and anticipation of the worst. And unfortunately our worst dreams came true. We smell fumes from oil; is it safe to stay here and breathe? Can we get in the water? Can we walk on the beach? Can we eat the seafood?” — Robert Craft The mayor of the coastal resort town of Gulf Shores, Alabama recounts the ordeal his community went through after the Deepwater Horizon disaster — when massive amounts of oil came ashore on their beaches — and how the environment and economy is doing seven years later.

Until recently, if you ate an oyster it most likely came from the Gulf of Mexico, which supplied more than 70% of all oysters harvested in the United States. But the Deepwater Horizon oil spill changed all that. The historically recession- and hurricane-proof oyster industry is harvesting and processing less than 25% of what it was before April 20, 2010. Their livelihoods gravely impacted, fishermen and shuckers struggle with poverty. Professor Sean Powers (University of South Alabama) explains why oyster populations have been slow to recover. NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

Professor Nancy Rabalais (LUMCON) and her team are studying the recovery of blue crab populations after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The Louisiana wetlands are under constant attack from sea level rise to perpetual, residual oil in the marshes from the oil and gas industry. |||||||||||||||||||| NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

David Chauvin is a fourth generation shrimper. He and his fellow watermen are accustomed to recovering from natural disasters like hurricanes. The man-made Deepwater Horizon disaster presented different kinds of challenges that proved to be difficult to overcome.

“When I first heard about the spill my first concern was if any lives were lost. We have so many people in the oil industry that it was very likely that somebody I knew would have been on the rig.” — Wayne Keller Today we will hear about the unsettling events that happened in a small Gulf of Mexico barrier island community just after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Though the disaster occurred in 2010, those first few days are still fresh in the memory of Grand Isle, Louisiana’s Port Director, Wayne Keller.

Today, we will spend some time with Dr. Martin Grosell, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Miami. He is studying how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected one of the most important recreational and commercial fisheries in the Gulf. Dr. Grosell and his research team capture Mahi-Mahi in the Gulfstream to use in their experiments. They put the fish inside a swim tunnel, which is basically a treadmill for fish, where they monitor metabolic rates and swim performance in fish exposed to oil. What they discovered was totally unexpected. NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.

“When the explosion of the Deep Water Horizon rig occurred we were all in shock. We all saw the horrific pictures. We all thought and prayed for the families of the crew members on the rig. We were dealing with so many unknowns.” — Herb Malone, Gulf Shores, Alabama Watermen, oil field workers, and those dependent upon tourism for their livelihood still struggle with anger and anxiety six years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion. For generations, these Gulf residents have rebounded quickly from natural disasters. For the first time in their lives, they were faced with a great unknown: a man-made disaster – the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The lingering environmental ramifications of the spill have lead to depression, substance abuse, divorce, and even suicide within the impacted communities. Featuring Herb Malone (Gulf Shores Tourism Board), Wayne Keller (Port Commission – Grand Isle, LA), Tony Kennon (Mayor – Orange Beach, AL), Sandy Nguyen (Coastal Communities Consulting), Thomas Dardar, Jr. (P

How do scientists get inspired? What drives them to keep discovering? Where do they find motivation? When do they do their best thinking? Why do they keep pushing the limits of knowledge? We’re sharing first person accounts about those special moments in the lives of scientists that we call “eureka moments.” Featuring Dr. Martin Grovel (University of Miami), Dr. Brian Haus (University of Miami), Tamay Özgökmen (University of Miami), Dr. Kristen Thyng (Texas A&M University), and Dr. Mandy Joye (University of Georgia). NOTE: Science is continually evolving. To see the latest research updates on this topic, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) web site at gulfresearchinitiative.org.