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UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE CONDUCTS STUDY ON OIL SPILL PATH University of Delaware oceanographer Matt Oliver is mapping where the Gulf oil spill may travel next. Using real-time data of sea surface temperatures, Oliver is generating maps of the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard. Inside his Global Visualization Laboratory at UD's Lewes campus, Oliver streams the data, overlaid on Google Earth images to nine, 46-inch, flat-screen televisions hardwired together to work as a single large screen. Sea surface temperatures allow scientists to track ocean currents; researchers can determine how fast the water is moving, its direction and thus, where the oil will be traveling. “The temperature of the water is a signal for what currents are approaching the spill location,” says Oliver, assistant professor of oceanography in UD's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. “This helps us determine where we need to focus clean up efforts.” Oliver's work is part of the DeepWater Horizon Response, created by NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System ( http://rucool.marine.rutgers.edu/deepwater/ ), a collaboration working to mitigate/manage the response to the spill. The University of Delaware is also sending its Slocum Electric Glider, an autonomous underwater vehicle, to the Gulf to aid the response effort. The gliders are remotely operated robots that swim a saw-tooth pattern and scan the ocean interior for traces of oil. They will provide live data via Google Earth showing what is happening under the water and how the environment is being affected by the oil spill. UD's glider joins four gliders from other institutions. This work is possible through funding by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, and through the Delaware Sea Grant Program at UD. |
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