Research Cruise to the Gulf of Mexico - Bush Hill Area (GC185 Block) Our work in the GOM at the GC600 lease block in 2017 was successful. From that we have formulated new questions, methods and procedures that we will employ in the GC185 block near Bush Hill with a new NSF grant. Bush Hill is the northernmost mound on the 184-185 block boundary. The ridge system starting at Bush Hill is around 8km in length, and likely has many naturally occurring hydrocarbon seeps along its length. Below is an example of our intended deployment scheme. We will have ADCPs that cover the entire water column (~700m), from surface to bottom. Cameras and other novel video imaging techniques will be employed to assess the visual changes in the seep site, and to get a measure of the turbulence related to the rising of a methane or oil bubbles. We will utilize Sentinel-1 SAR imagery to isolate oil slicks (using deep learning methods) within the region above our study area. We will estimate the vertical velocity of the buoyant hydrocarbon seep of interest with 2 methods, acoustically and optically. Other projects focus on the physical oceanography and meteorology of coastal Georgia as part of the GCE-LTER network, and hydrothermal vents near the Juan de Fuca Ridge as part of Ocean Networks Canada and naturally occurring hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico. 1) Coastal Georgia: This project has been part of the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Network (GCE-LTER) (see our link on GCE-LTER: https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/personnel_bios.asp?id=ddiiorio) through the National Science Foundation since 2000. Much of the data collection began in 2001 and continues to the present day. This includes sea level, meteorological, and hydrographic data at various locations in the GCE domain. Most of this data is currently available for download (at: https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/), while some data is still in the processing stages. Our team is also focused on modeling the physical parameters of the Duplin River (near Sapelo Island, GA) to understand the exchange between ocean and estuary; this model is forced by observed data collected under the GCE-LTER project. 2) Juan de Fuca Ridge: Our group is part of the Ocean Networks Canada, previously known as NEPTUNE Canada (see: http://www.oceannetworks.ca/). For this project, a cabled ocean reciprocal acoustic scintillation (CORAS) system has been developed in partnership with ASL Environmental Sciences and Ocean Networks Canada and will be connected to the seafloor at the M Endeavour vent Field offshore of the southern region of Vancouver Island, BC. The primary advantage of reciprocal transmission is the ability to resolve both the mean and turbulent horizontal advective flows and temperature. Using scintillation techniques the vertical flow of the hydrothermal plume will also be monitored leading to approximations of the heat flow. These acoustic measurements are essential for developing accurate and realistic 3-D models of hydrothermal vent plumes and their interaction with the ambient ocean. Recent Completed Projects: 1) Gulf of Mexico - MegaPlume Area (GC600 Block): Our group is part of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). “The ultimate goal of the GoMRI will be to improve society’s ability to understand, respond to and mitigate the impacts of petroleum pollution and related stressors of the marine and coastal ecosystems, with an emphasis on conditions found in the Gulf of Mexico.” (see our groups link on GoMRI: http://research.gulfresearchinitiative.org/research-awards/projects/?pid=270) See Daniela on youtube talking about our work in GOM: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJv9j78Esuo&feature=youtu.be)
