Geosciences Colloquium - Melissa Partyka

“10 years later: What an oil spill taught us about the Gulf, its communities, and how to share”

By Dr. Melissa Partyka, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium

Abstract:  

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Deepwater Horizon scientists funded through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) are synthesizing their data in order to draw new insights and determine where gaps in our understanding still exist.  While GoMRI’s efforts draw to a close the communities of the Gulf are still reeling from one of the largest human-caused disasters in U.S. history and mis-information continues to abound. It is the purpose of Gulf Sea Grant’s Oil Spill Science Outreach Team to share the available science with community members and stakeholder groups to help them make informed decisions and to better prepare for future spills. Today I will share a bit about those synthesis efforts, what the members of Alabama’s coastal communities are asking, and how we work to be honest brokers of information in an age of distrust.