Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lixin Qu, Leif N. Thomas, Aaron F. Wienkers, Robert D. Hetland, Daijiro Kobashi, John R. Taylor, Fucent Hsuan Wei Hsu, Jennifer A. MacKinnon, R. Kipp Shearman, Jonathan D. Nash
Summary: This study reveals that the summer land-sea breeze interacts with the river plume fronts in the northern Gulf of Mexico, leading to rapid vertical exchange and ventilation, which may impact the dynamics of the region's dead zone.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Veronica Ruiz Xomchuk, Robert D. Hetland, Lixin Qu
Summary: The occurrence of seasonal bottom hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico has been extensively studied, but little is known about internal variability and short-term shifts. This research uses a hydrodynamic model with oxygen parametrization to demonstrate the influence of physical processes with spatial and temporal scales on hypoxia development in the far-field of the Mississippi plume. Variability in advection is found to increase with decreasing temporal and spatial scales, introducing small-scale, strong anomalies in the field. Through a budget decomposition and Reynolds decomposition, the study identifies vertical flux anomalies as the primary counterbalance to sediment oxygen demand during periods of maintaining or destroying hypoxic extent.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
John S. Armstrong-Altrin, Mayla A. Ramos-Vazquez, Jayagopal Madhavaraju, Mario Emilio Marca-Castillo, Maria Luisa Machain-Castillo, Antonio Zoilo Marquez-Garcia
Summary: The provenance of GoM45 and GoM63 core sediments in the deep-sea area of the Gulf of Mexico was analyzed based on their textural, mineralogical, and geochemical variations. The sediments showed low weathering intensity and indicated an oxic depositional environment, consistent with a passive margin setting. The trace element concentrations and Eu anomaly suggested that the sediments were derived from the natural erosion of andesitic and basaltic rocks in the Los Tuxtlas region of the Gulf of Mexico.
APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Wokil Bam, Kanchan Maiti
Summary: The study investigates the vertical fluxes of POC in the continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico using short-lived radionuclide pair 210Po - 210Pb. The results show that in the upper 150 m of the water column, the inventories of 210Pb were consistently greater than those of 210Po, while the total overall water column inventories of 210Po and 210Pb were near equilibrium. The fluxes of 210Po varied between 9.8 +/- 6.34 dpm m-2 d-1 and 30.7 +/- 12.06 dpm m-2 d-1 with corresponding POC fluxes between 8.6 mg C m-2 d-1 and 37.65 mg C m-2 d-1.
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
(2021)
Review
Oceanography
David W. Townsend, Neal R. Pettigrew, Maura A. Thomas, Stephen Moore
Summary: We analyzed a 19-year time series of mooring data and in situ nitrate data collected in the Jordan Basin in the Gulf of Maine. The analyses confirmed previous findings that the Gulf of Maine has been warming due to air-sea heat fluxes. The warming is primarily attributed to changes in advective heat fluxes from neighboring shelf and slope regions, leading to a new baseline of warmer temperatures and higher salinities in the Gulf.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Adrian Lopez-Quiros, Francisco Jose Lobo, Isabel Mendes, Fernando Nieto
Summary: This article reports the occurrence of glaucony in highstand deposits and discusses its origin. Detailed analysis of glaucony grains from highstand muddy deposits and exposed transgressive deposits indicates that glaucony formation is influenced by factors such as sediment supply and nutrient-rich upwelling conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christophe Rabouille, Bruno Lansard, Shannon M. Owings, Nancy N. Rabalais, Bruno Bombled, Edouard Metzger, Julien Richirt, Eryn M. Eitel, Anthony D. Boever, Jordon S. Beckler, Martial Taillefert
Summary: The study investigated the diagenetic processes in bottom waters of four stations on the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico influenced by river inputs and seasonal hypoxia. The results showed that oxygen consumption linked to organic matter recycling was significant, but low oxygen conditions did not promote anoxic diagenesis as expected due to a limitation in organic substrate supply.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Yord W. Yedema, Francesca Sangiorgi, Appy Sluijs, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damste, Francien Peterse
Summary: Rivers play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle by transporting terrestrial organic matter from land to the ocean. The dispersal patterns of different types of organic matter in marine sediments are still poorly understood. This study analyzes the properties of bulk organic matter, lipid biomarkers, pollen, and dinoflagellate cysts to identify the dispersal patterns of different types of organic matter in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chuanmin Hu, Lin Qi, Menghua Wang, Young-Je Park
Summary: Remote sensing and spectroscopy techniques were used to detect and quantify floating debris after Hurricane Katrina, providing a way for post-hurricane environmental assessment. Satellite images and imaging spectroscopy revealed the distribution and types of debris in the northern Gulf of Mexico, suggesting it was mainly composed of driftwood and dead plants mixed with plastics and other materials. The maximal debris area reached a historical record when measured by area in satellite images.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yingjie Li, Samuel V. J. Robinson, Lan H. Nguyen, Jianguo Liu
Summary: The increasing frequency and severity of coastal hypoxia pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems and human well-being. It is crucial to implement continuous and comprehensive monitoring using advanced tools to track spatial and temporal changes in coastal hypoxia. This study utilized satellite imagery and statistical modeling techniques to estimate the spatiotemporal dynamics of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The results revealed the influence of surface water processes on bottom water hypoxia, highlighting the need for considering time lags in hypoxia studies. Additionally, the study demonstrated the potential of satellite remote sensing for accurate and real-time hypoxia mapping.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paulina Guarneros-Narvaez, Rossanna Rodriguez-Canul, Roxana De Silva-Davila, Jesus Alejandro Zamora-Briseno, Monica Amendola-Pimenta, Alejandro Jose Souza, Uriel Ordonez, Ivan Velazquez-Abunader
Summary: Global commercial catches of squid have increased greatly in recent years, but a significant portion of the catches remain unidentified. In the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, the squid catches are often not recorded and their species composition is unknown. This lack of knowledge hinders population evaluation and conservation strategies. This study used morphological and molecular identification tools to analyze the species composition, abundance distribution, and genetic structure of squid in the Yucatan Shelf. The results revealed a dominant species, identified as Doryteuthis pleii, and a continuous gene flow within the population.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
T. Ortega, D. Jimenez-Lopez, A. Sierra, R. Ponce, J. Forja
Summary: This study examines the water-atmosphere exchange of CO2, CH4, and N2O in the Gulf of Cadiz and its impact on atmospheric radiative balance. It found a progressive increase in pCO(2) over the last two decades, with a mean flux of 0.4 +/- 2.2 mmol m(-2) d(-1) in 2016. Nitrification is the main process of N2O production in the study area, while inputs from continental and sediment contributions are observed in the coastal zone. The estimated greenhouse gas flux in CO2 equivalents is 0.6 +/- 2.0 mmol m(-2) d(-1), indicating an approximate emission of 67.9 Gg CO2 y(-1).
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas B. Kelly, Angela N. Knapp, Michael R. Landry, Karen E. Selph, Taylor A. Shropshire, Rachel K. Thomas, Michael R. Stukel
Summary: The open-ocean Gulf of Mexico has highly stratified and oligotrophic surface waters, but anomalous high nitrogen export rates are supported by lateral advection of organic matter.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Emma A. Oti, Ann E. Cook, Stephen C. Phillips, Melanie E. Holland
Summary: This study develops a new method to estimate hydrate saturation in reservoirs using density-sensitive XCT scans and verifies its accuracy with quantitative degassing measurements. The results show that XCT analysis has the potential to nondestructively estimate hydrate saturation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Fabian A. Gomez, Rik Wanninkhof, Leticia Barbero, Sang-Ki Lee
Summary: This study used an ocean-biogeochemical model to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of ocean acidification in the Gulf of Mexico from 1981 to 2014. The findings show that alkalinity from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River System counteracted the progression of ocean acidification.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)