Variability of Deep-Sea Benthic Meiofauna Populations in the Gulf of Mexico
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Authors
Taroza, Ella
Baldrighi, Elisa
Baguley, Jeffrey
Issue Date
4/21/2026
Type
Poster
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded, releasing 507 million liters of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers collected samples through 2010-2014 over different months, not considering potential effects of seasonality. Samples from the deep-sea are now being studied by analyzing population density, variability, and distribution for potential effects of seasonality. It is important to find out whether variations in deep-sea benthic meiofauna populations are a result of seasonality or ongoing environmental impact and to eliminate concerns of potential bias in the data originally collected after the oil spill.