235
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_14
Chapter 14
Characterization of the Sedimentation
Associated with the Deepwater Horizon
Blowout: Depositional Pulse, Initial
Response, and Stabilization
Rebekka A. Larson, Gregg R. Brooks, Patrick T. Schwing, Arne R. Diercks,
Charles W. Holmes, Jeffrey P. Chanton, Misael Diaz-Asencio,
and David J. Hollander
Abstract The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout led to a depositional pulse in
the northeast Gulf of Mexico in the Fall of 2010 associated with an observed Marine
Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) event. A time
series (2010–2016) of annually collected sediment cores at four sites characterize
the sedimentary response to the event, post-event, and stabilization/recovery. The
depositional pulse (2010–2011) was characterized by high sedimentation rates with
R. A. Larson (*)
Eckerd College, Department of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: larsonra@eckerd.edu; ralarso2@mail.usf.edu
G. R. Brooks
Eckerd College, Department of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: brooksgr@eckerd.edu
P. T. Schwing · D. J. Hollander
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: pschwing@mail.usf.edu; davidh@usf.edu
A. R. Diercks
University of Southern Mississippi, School of Ocean Science and Engineering,
Stennis Space Center, MS, USA
e-mail: Arne.Diercks@usm.edu
C. W. Holmes
Environchron, Tallahassee, FL, USA
e-mail: cwholmes@environchron.com
J. P. Chanton
Florida State University, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science,
Tallahassee, FL, USA
e-mail: jchanton@fsu.edu
M. Diaz-Asencio
Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education, Ensenada, BC, Mexico
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_14
Chapter 14
Characterization of the Sedimentation
Associated with the Deepwater Horizon
Blowout: Depositional Pulse, Initial
Response, and Stabilization
Rebekka A. Larson, Gregg R. Brooks, Patrick T. Schwing, Arne R. Diercks,
Charles W. Holmes, Jeffrey P. Chanton, Misael Diaz-Asencio,
and David J. Hollander
Abstract The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout led to a depositional pulse in
the northeast Gulf of Mexico in the Fall of 2010 associated with an observed Marine
Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) event. A time
series (2010–2016) of annually collected sediment cores at four sites characterize
the sedimentary response to the event, post-event, and stabilization/recovery. The
depositional pulse (2010–2011) was characterized by high sedimentation rates with
R. A. Larson (*)
Eckerd College, Department of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: larsonra@eckerd.edu; ralarso2@mail.usf.edu
G. R. Brooks
Eckerd College, Department of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: brooksgr@eckerd.edu
P. T. Schwing · D. J. Hollander
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: pschwing@mail.usf.edu; davidh@usf.edu
A. R. Diercks
University of Southern Mississippi, School of Ocean Science and Engineering,
Stennis Space Center, MS, USA
e-mail: Arne.Diercks@usm.edu
C. W. Holmes
Environchron, Tallahassee, FL, USA
e-mail: cwholmes@environchron.com
J. P. Chanton
Florida State University, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science,
Tallahassee, FL, USA
e-mail: jchanton@fsu.edu
M. Diaz-Asencio
Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education, Ensenada, BC, Mexico