The Loop takes a deep dive into the Gulf of Mexico with the researchers studying the processes, mechanisms, and impacts of oil spills. The Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE) is an international research group studying mud, microbes and mammals after two mega spills, Deepwater Horizon and Ixtoc I. Researchers from C-IMAGE discuss their studies with David Levin of Mind Open Media. The goal of C-IMAGE is to advance understanding of the fundamental processes and mechanisms of marine blowouts and their consequences, ensuring that society is better-prepared to mitigate future events. C-IMAGE research was made possible by a grant from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

The Loop-mud, microbes, and mammals after Gulf of Mexico oil spills

“We were of the mind that with studying the Deepwater Horizon in the northern Gulf we weren’t getting a full Gulf of Mexico perspective.” Geochemist David Hollander is travelling with an international team of scientists aboard a Mexican research vessel. Over the last few years, his team has studied the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. But today, they’re looking back at a spill that happened 35 years ago and what they learn on this trip might help them understand the future of the Gulf. Mind Open Media producer David Levin talks to David Hollander, Joel Ortega Ortiz, Isabel Romero, Adriana Gaytán-Caballero, and Travis Washburn about their experiences on the RV Justo Sierra in the southern Gulf of Mexico during the research on the Ixtoc spill.

In the Mud in Mexico-Episode 8

Mind Open Media's David Levin talks with C-IMAGE PI Steven Murawski and scientists from the Technical University of Hamburg at Harburg Michael Schluter and Karen Malone about their high pressure experiments ongoing at their facilities. They are looking at oil and gas droplets under high pressure to learn more about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Pressure is On!-Episode 5

David Levin talks with C-IMAGE members Cameron Ainsworth, Jason Lenes, Michelle Masi and Brian Smith about building an Ecosystem Model of the Gulf of Mexico to describe how oil spills impact marine life.

Fitting the Gulf of Mexico inside a computer: how to build an ecosystem model-Episode 4

Three years after the BP oil well disaster, scientists are struggling to understand the effects on the Gulf ecosystem. From Mind Open Media, David Levin reports on the oil's impact on the tiny creatures that form the base of the food chain.

The "not-so-visible" impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico-Episode 3

C-IMAGE PI's Steven Murawski and David Hollander on board the Weatherbird II in August of 2012 talking to David Levin about looking for impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill on the mud and the fish in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Mud and the Blood-Episode 2

C-IMAGE PI Dr. Steven Murawski talks to David Levin about the research goals of our center and the importance of integration when tackling large scale impacts.

Overview of C-IMAGE-Episode 1

A research consortium of 17 institutions from 5 countries studying the impacts of oil spills on the Gulf of Mexico.

In the Mud in Mexico-Episode 8

C-IMAGE Consortium