Defenders pulls coup, places seabird observer among first cruises to spill zone in deepwater Gulf

For weeks now, scientists from many disciplines have been eager to get their first glimpse of the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the remotest corners of the Gulf of Mexico. Seabird biologists have been especially frustrated at being confined to shore – they well know that many of the marine birds most vulnerable to oil are only found far from land, well out of view. They needed a lucky break to get on the water, as the incredible demand for ships has made passenger space for scientists vanishingly scarce. 

Research vessel, the 'F. G. Walton Smith'

Some breaks are due to pure luck, including the informal network among scientists that is routinely tapped for seizing any chance to make a new discovery. After two days of frantic emails and phone calls among former university classmates and ship-board colleagues during the week of June 4, an incredible opportunity began to take shape. With help of federal agency personnel and academic researchers, I learned of an opportunity to place one of the first-ever seabird observers on a research cruise that was headed straight through the spill zone in the remote stretches of the Gulf of Mexico. It was also going to study the pivotal Loop Current, the Gulf’s ocean conveyor system that could take oil from the spill around the tip of Florida and up into the Atlantic Ocean. 

But – only a few hours remained to find someone and arrange their travel to meet the soon-to-depart ship. Our opening had arisen because the University of Miami’s state-of-the-art catamaran, the research vessel F. G. Walton Smith, named for the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’s first dean, was headed out to collect essential data in the deep Gulf of Mexico. In a practice known as “deadheading” (traveling home without a full complement of scientists), the ship was leaving Gulfport, Mississippi to return to its base port in Miami, Florida for another deployment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offered to pay for a few additional days of research on the way home, but the ship, which is part of the University National Laboratory System, was on a very tight schedule. The best they could offer was to extend the trip home by 18 more hours. 

Route through the Gulf for the F. G. Walton Smith

Was there an empty berth for a seabird observer? “Yes, we can accommodate them,” said Dr. Michelle Wood, director of the NOAA/AOML’s Ocean Chemistry Division. 

 Finding the best-qualified scientist on such short notice posed an equally-daunting challenge. My first instinct was to ask for David S. Lee, former curator of birds at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Dave had not only pioneered seabird studies in the subtropical waters of the southeastern United States, the Bahamas and across the West Indies, but he is the sort of naturalist that is virtually extinct today – he knows all the marine mammals, sea turtles and fish as well. He also has incredible instincts for looking in the right places, and focusing only on the most significant patterns. Dave also has a good pair of sea legs, and a perverse sense of humor. 

After more calls and emails, most made from hotels and airline terminals, all the arrangements were finally set. On the night of June 6, Dave set out with other researchers to transit the spill zone, then onward to the northeast and east sides of the Loop Current. One of the most troublesome of the research team’s findings was a previously unidentified oil plume located off Florida’s southwest coast. That plume was aimed straight towards the pristine sands and coral reefs of the Dry Tortugas. 

Stay tuned to learn about Dave’s journey and the shocking discoveries he made while on board the F. G. Walton Smith.