Gulf Research Initiative

On 20 April 2010, the Deep Water Horizon drilling rig operating approximately 50 miles (80 km) off the coast of Louisiana experienced a catastrophic failure that resulted in the release of petroleum (oil and gas) and subsequent explosion and fire, the ultimate sinking of the rig, and a discharge of gas and light sweet crude oil from an ocean depth of nominally 5000 feet (1525 m).

The mission of the Gulf Research Initiative (GoMRI) is to investigate the impacts of the oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf and affected coastal States in a broad context of improving fundamental understanding of the dynamics of such events and their environmental stresses and public health implications. The GoMRI also develops improved spill mitigation, oil and gas detection, characterization and remediation technologies.

 

Goal

Research Themes

 

Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities

The mission of the The Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities (CRGC) was established in 2015 with a three-year grant from the Gulf Research Initiative to assess and address the public health, social, and economic impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf region. CRGC uses an interdisciplinary approach to research and outreach activities to address a major policy issue in this region with implications for the rest of the United States:

How can communities build resilience to future adverse events like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

The approach integrates theories and methods from multiple disciplines and also integrates researchers with community leaders and policymakers so that policy-relevant knowledge is produced in an iterative way to address GoMRI's Theme 5 (above). Primary focus is on (1) collecting new information about health, social well-being, and economic impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and (2) developing and testing methods for building community resilience.

 

Components

Objectives

Partners