The R/V Apalachee set sail July 28, 2013 for a ten day deep sea research cruise. Dr. Dean Grubbs and Dr. Charles Cotton and their crew will be conducting research in various areas of the Gulf of Mexico including the area of the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill.
GoMRI's June 2013 newsletter focuses on the research being conducted by the Deep-C Consortium. It recounts what happened that fateful day of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster and then summarizes some of what we have learned since then. In this newsletter you will find several quotes from FSU researchers as well as an interview from our very own director, Dr. Felicia Coleman.
The Washington Post highlights Dr. Steve Ross' (University of North Carolina at Wilmington) and Dr. Sandra Brooke's (FSUCML) research off the mid-Atlantic coast. A new chemosythetic community was found in which many different species of corals and other creatures can be found. Dr. Brooke says, "We've had very little information about the communities in the canyons", but now with funding from NOAA and the use of submersibles they are slowly starting to uncover some of the mysteries and discover communities they never knew existed in these areas.
Florida Tax Watch writes about the Florida universities that are researching the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. It focuses on three institutions, one of which is Florida State University. It highlights our research on the coast along the Florida Panhandle as well as the deep waters of the Gulf and our attempt to reveal the connections between the two.
The Times (Apalachicola and Carrabelle) writes about our 2013 Open House! In it Lois Swoboda goes over some of the highlights of the day, including tours of our new research vessel, APALACHEE. Despite the unusually chilly weather that day, we had a great turnout.
Three years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Travis Pillow of the Tallahassee Democrat writes about the research that some of our scientists here at the lab, along with the other Deep-C members, are conducting on the spill. The primary concern is for the long-term effects on the ecosystem, many of which are still unknown. Director, Dr. Felicia Coleman, says "The oil spill shown a light on the Gulf that said, 'My God' ... This is the supplier, and nobody was paying any attention to how important it is." Well people are seeing now just how important the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem is and are worried about what is to become of it.
Karl Etters with the Tallahassee Democrat interviews FSUCML's Dr. Dean Grubbs and graduate students Cheston Peterson and Johanna Imhoff about their thoughts on the R/V APALACHEE. They are all anxious and excited to embark on its maiden research voyage in April. The R/V APALACHEE is the first of its kind in this region of the Gulf and many are anxious to get a turn.
After many months of construction and a lot of hard work, Geo Shipyard, Inc. proudly delivered the R/V APALACHEE to us on January 25, 2013. "It was a most pleasant experience to work with the great people of the Coastal Marine Center of Florida State University" said David LeCompte, VP Geo Shipyard. Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. put out a press release announcing its delivery. In it you'll find more details about the design and specifications of the vessel.
Last Thursday Martha Dobes, FSUCML Board of Trustees Member, hosted a shindig in Atlanta to share some of the research the FSUCML is currently working on. Many of the attendees own property nearby the lab, so it was important for them to learn about what we do here. Dr. Felicia Coleman and Dr. Dean Grubbs were in attendance and gave presentations on their own research and why it is important to protect out ocean's resources.
A large number of shark species live beyond the reach of unaided humans. The environment that they regularly reside in is difficult to research and therefore little is known about these evasive sharks. In 2010, FSUCML's Dr. Dean Grubbs paired up with researcher Edd Brooks, from Cape Eleuthera Institute's (CEI) Shark Monitoring Program, and took to the waters of the Bahamas to try and unravel some of these mysteries. Read Andy Murch's article in Diver Magazine to learn about some of their findings over the last few years.
