DURHAM, N.C. – The R/V Cape Hatteras, a 135-foot oceangoing research vessel operated by the Duke/University of North Carolina Oceanographic Consortium (DUNCOC), left the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, N.C., on June 5 to conduct a 10-day research cruise in waters affected by the ongoing Deep Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The ship will collect data in affected waters between June 10 and 20. A webcam and blog chronicling the expedition will be accessible, when conditions permit, at.

The expedition is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Rapid Response Research program.  John Kessler, assistant professor of oceanography at Texas A&M University, is the chief scientist.

The primary objective of the cruise is to quantify the amount of methane from the spill that is being dissolved or retained in the water column and emitted into the atmosphere, says Bruce Corliss, DUNCOC director and professor of earth and ocean sciences at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

Previous estimates by scientists at British Petroleum suggest methane accounts for about 40 percent of the spill, by weight.  A fossil methane discharge of that size “presents a very unique opportunity to investigate how the natural oceanic methane system functions, and how it contributes to Earth’s climate,” Corliss says. Methane is a greenhouse gas that has been linked to climate change. Measuring the methane from the spill, he adds, may be a useful tool to quantify how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recent article in Nature. (You can read the article at.)

Scientists aboard the Cape Hatteras also will study the effect the discharged methane has on beneficial marine microorganisms and dissolved oxygen levels in Gulf waters.

“As bacteria in the water consume the spilled methane, they use oxygen,” Corliss explains. “The question is, will this create anoxic conditions, or new underwater ‘dead zones’, where the waters are completely depleted of oxygen? If so – if the oil spill affects the phytoplankton and zooplankton in the region – then it’s not only affecting large animals like sea turtles or sea birds, it’s affecting the entire food chain, which could have far-reaching long-term impacts.”

“What we learn about these processes will not help end the current spill, but will help us solve similar problems in the future,” Corliss says.

The crew of the Cape Hatteras will receive special hazardous materials training prior to heading into the affected waters. Scientists and crew members will be outfitted with protective Tvvek suits, respirators and disposable foul-weather gear.  Before returning to port, the ship itself will be cleaned at degreasing stations.  To prevent damage to sensitive equipment, the ship’s flow-through seawater system to monitor salinity and water temperature will be shut down, along with its reverse osmosis water purification system.

Other NSF-funded research cruises to the Gulf aboard the Cape Hatteras are planned for later this summer.