OC Oil Spill Science at UCI

Two UCI grad students are researching the impact of the recent OC oil spill on some of the tiniest of marine organisms: phytoplankton.
Monday, November 29, 2021
UCI Physical Sciences Communications

The two UCI graduate students spearheading the project, Joana Tavares and Melissa Brock.

Picture Credit:
Lucas Van Wyk Joel

In October 2021, a broken underwater pipe leaked about 25,000 gallons of oil into the waters off the Orange County coast. Almost immediately, scientists from UC Irvine launched a collaborative effort to assess the impacts of the spill on marine life as part of the ongoing Southern California Oil Spill Project. Here's how it all started: 

 

The Department of Earth System Science acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples, who still hold strong cultural, spiritual and physical ties to this region.