A systems approach to improve predictions of biodegradation and ecosystem recovery in coastal marine sediments impacted by oil spill
Implementing Organization
Florida State University
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$1,010,250
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)
Funding Program
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative GoMRI Grant Program
Details
Project Category
Science
Project Actions
Chemical Aspects Research
Targeted Resources
Human and/or Institutional Capacity
Project Description
The goals of this project are to link microbial degradation of buried oil and associated transport processes and to integrate these data in a model that allows predictions of pathways and rates of oil degradation, and thus, forecasting recovery pathways in future oil spills. Specific objectives are to: (1) Determine microbial community structure and succession associated with petroleum hydrocarbons buried in sub-, inter- and supratidal coastal sands; (2) Quantitatively link supply rates of oxygen and nutrients to microbial oil degradation rates and community structure in these sands; (3) Develop a model using a systems approach that incorporates microbiological, genomics, biogeochemical and transport data to predict decomposition rates of buried oil in beach sands; (4) Organize a workshop for disseminating our models and associated bioinformatics tools.
Contact
Markus HuettelNone
mhuettel@fsu.edu
Project Website
None
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