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Tracing Hydrocarbon Plumes in the Gulf

Yesterday, WHOI researchers Rich Camilli (left), Christopher Reddy (right), and others released a paper in the journal Science describing a deep plume of hydrocarbons they discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. They concluded that the plume, which is at least 22 miles long and more than 3,000 feet below the surface, is a residue of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The work was unique because it mobilized quickly and combined the use of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry to survey below the surface for locations to drop instruments from the surface and collect water samples. (Photo by Cameron McIntyre, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)