Seminar: Catherine Edwards, UGA

UNC Marine Sciences’ is proud to host a seminar by Catherine Edwards, Ph.D. This event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 3rd, at 3:35pm in room G201 on the ground floor of Murray Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This seminar will also be broadcast live to both UNC’s Institute of Marine Sciences room 222 and online via Zoom.

Presenter Affiliation: Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia

Title:  Mississippi River plume interaction with surface oil in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract: A thus far unexplored aspect of marine oil snow (MOS) formation is the role of river plumes carrying dissolved and particulate matter offshore, where the low salinity water and its contents could interact with seep oil and pelagic microorganisms, possibly forming sinking MOS. Oil seeps may be hotspots for MOS formation, as they have been connected to increased primary productivity relative to non-seep sites (D’souza et al., 2016), and increased TEP production at seeps is thought to facilitate marine oil snow formation (Ziervogel et al., 2014). Data from recent glider deployments near a natural seep site (GC600) indicate simultaneous influence of fresh water and hydrocarbon inputs in the upper 200m on the continental slope; analysis of hydrographic and bio-optical data (backscatter, CDOM and chl-a fluorescence) collected by the glider suggests that large particles are formed below the phytoplankton max after the arrival of fresh water at slope sites with seep activity. Taking advantage of a combination of satellite, shipboard, and glider-derived data, I will explore the interaction of Mississippi River plume water with hydrocarbons near this natural seep site, as well potential physical and biological controls on this important but understudied aspect of MOS formation in the northern Gulf of Mexico.