Research Ship returns from Gulf expedition

Research Ship returns from Gulf expedition

The R/V Cape Hatteras is back at the docks at Duke Marine Lab on Pivers Island after a research expedition in the Gulf of Mexico. (Dylan Ray photo)
NEWS-TIMES
Published: Sunday, August 1, 2010 2:05 AM EDT

MIKE SHUTAK

Beaufort �" Oil isn't the only thing that was released into the waters by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. An expedition conducted by the R/V Cape Hatteras, a vessel stationed at the Duke University Marine Sciences Lab, shows that large amounts of methane are also being released.

The Cape Hatteras expedition to the Gulf of Mexico occurred from June 11-20. Dr. John Kessler, assistant professor of the department of oceanography at Texas A&M University, headed the trip. Dr. Kessler said the trip was funded by the National Science Foundation to study the natural gas component of the spill.

"By weight, methane makes up almost half (40 percent) of the material that was escaping the broken wellhead," he said. "So many people want to know where it's going and what it's doing to the natural environment."

The Cape Hatteras went out to ground zero of the spill to do the study. Dr. Kessler said they were granted permission to study within about 1/3 of a mile from the wellhead.

"We sampled radially outward to about seven miles," he said.

The Cape Hatteras crew measured methane concentrations, fluxes and how the methane is contributing to the loss of dissolve oxygen in the ocean waters. Dr. Kessler said generally, little to no methane is escaping from the spill to the atmosphere.

"Most of the methane emitted is dissolving in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico," he said. "We're still interpreting our data on how quickly the biodegradation of methane is contributing to dissolved oxygen loss in the Gulf waters."

Now that the trip is complete, the data will be published as soon as possible in scientific journals. Dr. Kessler said they're also working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to transfer their data to them. The administration is coordinating all the data collected during to spill to provide to decision makers.

This will not be the last trip made to the Gulf of Mexico to study the impacts of methane and other gasses. Dr. Kessler said there are plans being made to return to the Gulf in the fall.

"Before we go out again, we want a firmer understanding on the results from our first expedition," he said, "so that we can execute an organized scientific mission instead of just random sampling."