video

Science in a Time of Crisis: Searching for the Plume

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Part 4 of a 6-part series describing Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's efforts to understand the scope and impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "Searching for the Plume" describes a research cruised aboard the R/V Endeavor on which WHOI scientists found and mapped a plume of hydrocarbons beneath the surface of the Gulf using the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry fitted with a compact mass spectrometer. The group also looked for signs that microbial action was depleting oxygen in the water, but were able to document that oxygen levels remained within normal ranges. Watch part five here.