photo

A Rain Drop On An Oil Slick

A raindrop falls into a surface oil slick treated with chemical dispersant.
(David Murphy, John Hopkins University)

Some of the biggest questions about oil spills center around tiny droplets: drops of oil, drops of water, and drops of dispersant. By looking at the interactions between these drops (as well as their interactions with plankton), researchers with GoMRI's DROPPS project hope to better understand how oil breaks down and affects wildlife. Here, a raindrop falls into a surface oil slick treated with chemical dispersant.