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University of South Florida
 The
University
of South Florida, along with its local federal, state, and private-sector
partners, has been uniquely positioned to become the premier research
institution understanding the oceanography of Florida’s coastal
ocean required to predict the movement of the oil emanating from the
Deepwater Horizon well and the potential impacts that oil may impact
on the marine environment. Being the primary user of the Florida
Institute of Oceanography’s research vessels, including
the new, well-equipped 115 ft long R/V Weatherbird II, USF
scientists maintain an extensive ocean observing system required for
modeling and prediction of oceanographic phenomena. Additionally,
USF scientists and engineers have developed unique sensor technologies
that have begun to revolutionize data oceanographic acquisition needed
for modeling and contamination assessment. USF scientists have mapped
sections of the seafloor of Florida’s coastal ocean using the
latest geoacoustic and photo imaging tools that would be essential
for post-contamination comparative purposes. Finally, scientists and
engineers at USF bring decades of oceanographic research on Florida’s
Gulf of Mexico coastal ocean, coastline, and estuaries providing baseline
information from which oil impact assessments can be made.
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