As a result of the April 20, 2010, BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, on May 24, BP announced a commitment of up to $500 million to the Gulf Research Initiative (GRI) Open Research Program to study the impact of the Deepwater Horizon incident, and its associated response, on the environment and public health in the Gulf of Mexico.

From that initiative, $5 million was designated Rapid Response Funds for Alabama’s Marine Environmental Science Consortium (MESC) to allocate for immediate state research programs. Those research programs have now been approved, and funds are being released to begin the work needed to study the impacts of this historical environmental event.

The MESC is a consortium of 22 Alabama four-year colleges and universities, based at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) on Dauphin Island, Alabama. Dr. John Valentine, Chair of University Programs at DISL, took charge of the immense process by bringing over 100 MESC- associated scientists to participate in four thematic workshops held in Mobile, Alabama, on September 2nd and 3rd, and on September 9th and 10th.

“This was a rare opportunity, driven by crisis, that brought together the best scientific talent from across the state of Alabama,” stated Dr. Valentine. “We were, and continue to be, driven by our mutual concerns for the environment and citizens of our state and all states affected by the oil spill.

“We are pleased that this was an open and transparent process, vetted by a recognized panel of oil experts at the Harte Institute.

“This was a collaborative process by all 22 members of the MESC, and we are determined that this unprecedented effort will bring unprecedented results in studying the effects of this oil spill, and will aid in the recovery process. By careful scientific analysis and peer review, we are committed to robust results that will help in any future events of this nature, although we hope those events never again come to light,” he concluded.

Added Dr. George Crozier, Executive Director of the DISL, “This project has provided a unique opportunity for cooperative efforts within the state's institutions of higher education. In a relatively short amount of time, the funds will be disbursed to 105 scientists in 14 different MESC institutions – an impressive diversity of projects, people and places.”

Four themes were selected, as well as a co-chair from the participating institutions. A category for smaller grants, known as Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), was also established to encourage those projects that needed more data to merit full funding (The full list of themes, workplans, principal investigators and budgets are listed below). The deadline for the work plans to be submitted to the Principal Investigator (PI) was October 8. Once received, the PI forwarded the proposed work plans to the advisory panel.

The Harte Institute, located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and part of Texas A&M, was asked to conduct the external review of work plans. The members of the advisory panel were selected and the panel conducted its evaluation of the work plan on October 19 at the DISL.

The Executive Committee of the MESC, its governing board, gave a final review and approval of the work plans. The Executive Committee is composed of President Gordon Moulton, University of South Alabama and Chair of the Executive Committee; President Jay Gogue, Auburn University; Chancellor Jay Hawkins, Jr., Troy University; President Robert E. Witt, University of Alabama; and President William G. Cale, Jr., University of North Alabama.

Moulton stated, “The RAPID response funds provided by BP to the State of Alabama have allowed our institutions of higher education to collaboratively develop research projects that will address the immediate needs of our public and BP to understand the impacts of the spill, and further, to eliminate the gaps in our scientific understanding of the Gulf and its multitude of physical, chemical and biological properties.”

The 22 MESC colleges and universities are:

• Alabama A&M University • Alabama State University • Athens State University • Auburn University • Auburn University at Montgomery • Birmingham Southern College • Huntingdon College • Jacksonville State University • Judson College • Samford University • Spring Hill College	• Talladega College • Troy University • Tuskegee University • University of Alabama • University of Alabama at Birmingham • University of Alabama at Huntsville • University of Mobile • University of Montevallo • University of North Alabama • University of South Alabama • University of West Alabama

Media Contact:
Dr. John Valentine, Chair, University Programs
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
E-mail: jvalentine@disl.org
Phone: (251) 861-2141 x2261

List of Work Plans, Principal Investigators, and Funding Levels by Themes:

Theme One – Ecosystem Integration and Assessment. Chaired by Drs. Ken Heck (DISL & University of South Alabama [USA]) & Julie Olson (University of Alabama [UA])

Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil releases on the functional integrity of salt marshes and seagrass meadows and associated fauna. Ken Heck (DISL & USA), Just Cebrian (DISL & USA), Sean Powers (USA & DISL). $66,148.

Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil/dispersant pollution on ecosystem functioning: Assessing C and N dynamics in salt marshes along an exposure gradient. Julia Cherry (UA), Greg Starr (UA), Behzad Mortazavi (UA & DISL). $95,382.

Resilience of seagrass beds to oil contamination: Interaction of physiological responses
and genetic diversity. Kelly Major, Ashley Morris, Anne Boettcher (all USA). $77,060.

Measuring habitat utilization, plant growth rates and secondary productivity. Lee Stanton (all University of West Alabama). $45,310.

An examination of pre- and post-spill ichthyoplankton assemblage dynamics. Frank Hernandez, Jr., Keith Bayha (both DISL). $115,490.

Recruitment patterns of reef fishes and the recent Gulf oil spill. Stephen Szedlmayer (Auburn University [AU]). $99,393.

Biomarker prospecting: Detection of impacts of DHOS-related hydrocarbon and dispersant discharge in north-central Gulf of Mexico estuaries using Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, as an aquatic vertebrate sentinel. Stephen Bullard (AU), Calvin Johnson (AU), Kristi Crowe (UA). $153,977.

Assessing the impact of oil/dispersant on marine sponges and their symbiotic communities. Julie Olson (UA) , John Aho (Auburn University in Montgomery [AUM]), Robert Thacker (University of Alabama at Birmingham [UAB]). $67,781.

Chemical dispersants in the marine environment: Harnessing the fish acute phase response for rapid and sensitive evaluation of exposure. Stephen Watts, Alexander Szalai, Vithal Ghanta, Mickie Powell (all UAB). $25,645.

Assessing the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the diamondback terrapin: A tope carnivore and keystone species in the salt marshes of Alabama. Thane Wibbels (UAB), Ken Marion (UAB), John Dindo (DISL), David Nelson (USA). $34,395.

Measuring direct and indirect impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on coastal low
salinity fauna. Dennis DeVries, Rusty Wright (both AU). $40,106.

SGER: Studies of microbial communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon spill. Omar Oyarzabal (Alabama State University [ASU]), Komal Vig (ASU), James Coker (UAB), Covadonga Arias (AU. $60,000.

TOTAL THEME ONE: $880,687

Theme Two – Physical Distribution, Dispersion, and Dilution of Contaminants Under the Action of Ocean Currents and Tropical Storms. Chaired by Keyong Park (USA & DISL) & Bret Webb (USA)

Investigation of the three dimensional Eulerian flow field and resulting Lagrangian transport pathways on the Alabama shelf. Brian Dzwonkowski (DISL). $177,975.

Identifying transport pathways and quantifying exchange in Alabama’s coastal waters: from the shelf to the delta. Bret Webb (USA). &199,223.

Flow structures on the northern shelf of the Gulf of Mexico using drifters and underway velocity profiles. Arnoldo Valle-Levinson (University of Florida). $66,912 – Subcontract to grant listed immediately above.

Hyperspectral imaging based estimation of physical distribution, dispersion and dilution of contaminants. Mohammad S. Alam (USA). $87,400.

Geophysical characterization of the water column and seafloor on the Alabama continental shelf. Andrew M. Goodliffe (UA). $76,866.

Experimental investigation and modeling of physical and chemical evolution of oil-contaminated sediments. Joel S. Hayworth (AU). $66,698.

Physical model investigation on the mixing of oil-dispersed substances in Mobile Bay ship channel. Jose G. Vasconcelos (AU). $80,385.

Development of high-fidelity Lagrangian tracking module for oceanic dispersion/sedimentation predictions. Chien-Pin Chen (University of Alabama at Huntsville [UAH]). $74,750.

High-fidelity modeling of transport of oil-derived particulates using an equilibrium Eulerian method. Babak Shotorban (UAH). $54,050.

Composing gridded surface wind field data through observations and numerical modeling. Sytske K. Kimball (USA). $53,055.

Modeling of circulation and physical transport for the Alabama coastal waters to assess transport and distribution of oil derived substances. Kyeong Park (USA & DISL). $129,246.

Wave and surge simulations for spilled-oil redistribution by Gulf of Mexico tropical cyclones. Qin J. Chen (Louisiana State University). $45,000 – Subcontract to grant listed immediately above.

TOTAL THEME TWO: $999,648

Theme Three – Environmental effects of the oil-dispersant system on the seafloor, water column, coastal waters, shallow water habitats, wetlands, and beach sediments, and the science of ecosystem recovery. Chaired by William (Monty) Graham (DISL) & Ken Halanych (AU). Budget is listed by investigator.

Recovery: Plankton
Task One. Community analysis of zooplankton and ichthyoplankton before, during and immediately following the spill. Sean Powers (USA & DISL), Anthony Moss (AU), Laure Carassou (DISL).

Task Two. Community analysis of microbial communities in the surface waters from the shelf to Mobile Bay before, during and immediately following the spill. Alice Ortmann (USA & DISL), Ken Halanych (AU), Anthony Moss (AU).

Task Three. Experimental analysis of the impact of oil carbon on trophic pathways in the plankton food web and characterization of recovery. Alice Ortmann (USA & DISL), Rob Condon (DISL), Anthony Moss (AU), Yuehan Lu (UA), Robert Findlay (UA), Monty Graham (DISL).

Rob Condon (DISL), $86,250
Alice Ortmann (USA & DISL), $86,250
Anthony Moss (AU), $71,466
William (Monty) Graham (DISL), $55,590
Ken Halanych (AU), $40,250
Sean Powers (USA & DISL), Laure Carassou (DISL), $16,216
Yuehan Lu (UA), Robert Findlay (UA), $8,625

Recovery: Sentinel Macrofauna
Budgets listed by Investigator
Robert Findlay (UA), Yuehan Lu (UA) - $51,750
Ruth Carmichael (DISL), $48,301
Anne Boettcher (USA), $33,672
Alberto Perez-Huerta (UA), $31,050
Fred Andrus (UA), $31,050
Matt Jenny (UA), $30,976
R. Douglass Watson (UAB), $25,300
William Walton (AU), $20,700

Benthic Meiofauna Survey
Task One. Collect sediment samples across the NgoM for various analyses. Collection sites will be inside and outside of probable affected areas. Subtasks 1-4 will be accomplished cruising on the NOAA Ship Pisces, Oct-Nov, 2010. Frank Romano (Jacksonville State University [JSU]), Stephen Landers (Troy University [TU]).

Task Two. Analysis of the samples collected on the NOAA cruise Fall 2010. These goals will be accomplished on the home campuses of Drs. Romano and Landers. Frank Romano (JSU), Stephen Landers (TU).

Task Three. Identification of specific animal groups, sentinel species, and analysis of abiotic factors. Landers and Romano will coordinate sending many of these samples to other team members or outside experts. Frank Romano (JSU), Stephen Landers (TU), Ken Halanych (AU), Alice Ortmann (USA & DISL), Prabhakar Clement (AU), Yuehan Lu (UA).

Task Four. Collect sediment samples across the NGOM while cruising on NOAA ship in Oct/Nov 2011, similar to Task 1. Frank Romano (JSU), Stephen Landers (TU).

Task Five. Additional samples will be taken for molecular microbial and meiofaunal work. These will focus on oil impacted near shore and Mississippi Sound samples collected at least quarterly by Dr. Halanych. Hydrocarbons type and quantity in the sediments will be examined by Drs. Clement and Lu. Ken Halanych (AU), Prabhakar Clement (AU), Yuehan Lu (UA).

Task Six. Assessment of abundance and diversity patterns of microbial and meiofaunal communities. Ken Halanych (AU), Alice Ortmann (USA & DISL)

Task Seven. Foraminiferal analyses will be conducted to assess changes in community composition and diversity and to track foraminiferal growth deformities caused by the DHOS. Ronald Lewis (AU).

Budgets listed by Investigator
Ken Halanych (AU), $107,151
Alice Ortmann (USA & DISL), $40,250
Frank Romano (JSU), $39,488
Stephen Landers (TU), $35,195
Ronald Lewis (AU), $28,750
Prabhakar Clement (AU), $23,006
Yuehan Lu (UA), Robert Findlay (UA), $8,625

Wetland And Shoreline Recovery
Task One. Wetland mesocosm experiment. Chris Anderson (AU)
Task Two. Characterizing shoreline recovery patterns using pyrolysis GC/MS methods. Prabhakar Clement (AU).

Budget: $79,370

TOTAL THEME THREE: $999,281

Theme Four – Chemical evolution and biological degradation of the oil-dispersant systems and subsequent interaction with the marine and coastal ecosystems. Chaired by Ron Kiene (USA & DISL) & Patty Sobecky (UA),

Microbial Responses to Hydrocarbon and Dispersant: Lab and Field-based Studies (with sub-projects).
Patty Sobecky (UA), $74,750,
Asim Bej (UAB), $29,900,
Sinead Ni Chadhain (USA), $12,650,
Rona Donahoe (UA) and Yuehan Lu (UA), $71,990,
Behzad Mortazavi (UA & DISL), $74,750
Ahjeong Son (AU), Yucheng Feng (AU), $74,750
Ron Kiene (USA & DISL), $86,250

Environmental chemistry of the BP oil spill (with sub-projects).
Vessel fund for All Pis, DISL, $28,750
Nixon Mwebi, Jan Gryko, (JSU) Gabriela Gurau, Robin Rogers, (UA), $69,000
Jan Grykko (JSU), $46,000
Carmen Scholz (UAH), $23,000
Al Nichols, David Steffy (JSU), $34,500
Brent Olive (University of North Alabama [UNA]), $28,750
Sesha Srinivasan (Tuskegee University), $23,000
Kewei Yu (TU), $23,000

Chemical engineering applications to study the chemical evolution and biological degradation of the oil-dispersant systems and subsequent interaction with the marine and coastal ecosystems (with sub-projects).
Don Zhao (AU), Ming-Kuo Lee (AU), $39,137
Kevin White (USA), $46,575
Ming-Kuo Lee (AU), $19,965
Heath Turner ((UA), $34,150
Steve Ritchie (UA), $41,400
Ryan Hartman (UA), $47150

Marine yeast biodiversity characterization for biodegradation of the BP oil spill hydrocarbons.
B. K. Robertson (ASU), Peter Noble (ASU), and Jagjit Yadav (Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati), $34,500

TOTAL THEME FOUR: $963,917

Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER)
Improving Deepwater Horizon risk assessment for large pelagic rays: Global-scale position via satellite telemetry. Sean Powers (USA & DISL), Matt Ajemian (DISL). $14,375.

A molecular survey of marine ciliates in oil-spill contaminated waters. David Johnson (Samford University). $4,595.

Genetic implications of relocating loggerhead sea turtle eggs from the Alabama coast in response to the deep water Horizon oil spill. Jennifer Layton (Samford University). $14,877.

Solar driven photocatalytic flow reactors for the chemical evaluation photodegration of oil-dispersant interactions in deep water Horizon oil spill. Sesha Srinivasan, Prakash Sharma (both Tuskegee University). $15,000.

Nanostructure surface plasmon resonance enhanced spectroscopic sensing for hydrocarbon contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico. Junpeng Guo (UAH). $15,000.

The assessment of hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon dispersants impacts on embryos of grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio). James Rayburn (JSU). $14,637.

Oil spill impact along the Alabama coastal area. Udaysankar Nair (UAH). $14,997.

The distribution of residual oil in Alabama coastal marshes and its impact of marsh vegetation. Christopher Anderson (AU). $14,950,

Exploring the mechanisms of nitrate-aided biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon under anaerobic conditions. Kewei Yu (TU). $14,952.

Investigating the fisheries impacts of the deep water Horizon disaster through socioeconomic surveys. Sean Powers, Steven Scyphers (both USA & DISL). $14,375.

Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation using mineralization assay and functional gene analysis. Yucheng Feng (AU). $15,000.

Photochemical degradation and ozonation of persistent BP oil compounds in the spill-affected Alabama coast water and sediment. Dongye Zhao, Weirong Zhao (both AU). $15,000,

Evaluating the changing surfactant capabilities of sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and its commercial product forms of corexit EC9500A, corexit EC9527A and corexit EC9580A in a marine system. David Steffy (JSU). $14,829.

Impact of hydrocarbon oil spill on coastal plant community. Safaa Al-Hamdani (JSU). $15,000.

Food web impacts of deepwater Horizon oil spill on coastal Alabama waterfowl. Charles Martin, John Dindo (both DISL). $14,998.

Enhanced detection of hydrocarbons through optical scattering. Mark Adams, Kevin West (both USA). $12,788.

Framework for dynamic configuration and interoperability of heterogeneous offshore oil spill wireless sensor networks. Waleed Al-Assadi (USA). $15,000.

In-situ WSN to monitor the transport and dispersion of oil-derived substances. Salim Alsharif (USA). $14,794.

Feasibility study of applying multi-spectral acoustical imaging techniques to estimate physical distribution of oil-derived substances in the water columns in the Alabama Gulf coast and Mobile Bay. Adel Sakla, Mohammad Alam (both USA), $15,000.

TOTAL SGER: $270,167