Map (IMAGE)

University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science

Map

Caption

Map shows the likelihood of virtual particles arriving to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site (yellow star) from major sea turtle nesting sites (white squares) within 5 years, based on backtracking simulations within the Global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model. Colors indicate particle density by grid cell (counted daily), thus locations with warmer colors had a relatively high probability of transport into the spill site. These results suggest that turtle populations throughout the Atlantic Ocean could have been present during the spill and that further investigation of possible negative impacts to these populations is warranted.

Credit

Nathan Putnam, Ph.D. UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

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