Ways to Give

A healthy planet and healthy people need a healthy ocean. Make a donation today to help MERI preserve our oceans for tomorrow.

Searching for the perfect gift? Stop by our Eco-Store.

Sam Lardner's Oceans Are Talking CD is also available at MERI.

Gulf of Mexico EcoTox Project

The Marine Environmental Research Institute has begun a collaborative, region-wide investigation of toxic impacts of oil and dispersants on the Gulf ecosystem – from phytoplankton, fish, and birds to marine mammals and humans. This broad-based, multi-species, multi-habitat approach can provide essential information in a timely way that will inform public health measures (seafood safety), as well as current and future restoration efforts.

Read Dr. Shaw's op-ed in the New York Times to learn about the dispersant Corexit. Visit our news page to read articles and listen to interviews in which she explains the impact oil and dispersants have on every level of the ocean food web.

Support the GET Project and independent research in the Gulf of Mexico:

Center for Marine Studies

55 Main Street
PO Box 1652
Blue Hill, ME 04614
Tel: 207-374-2135
Fax: 207-374-2931
info@meriresearch.org

Calendar of Events | How You Can Help | Contact Us

The Power and Partners to make a Difference

Assessing toxic impacts in the Gulf across species and habitats requires a network of dedicated partners. The Institute's partners include:

•The Wadsworth Center at the State University of New York
•The Gulf Restoration Network
•The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University
•Google Ocean & Mission Blue Foundation
•RVLL Ocean Endeavors

At the core of this dynamic team of public, private, and university partners, MERI will carry out a region-wide ecotoxicological investigation.

Impact Assessments

•The distribution and fate of crude oil-related contaminants, including but not limited to, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated PAHs and their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PAHs) throughout the Gulf food web – in water, sediments, plankton, estuarine and offshore fish, sea turtles, marine birds and marine mammals

•The distribution and fate of contaminants released from dispersants (surfactants, solvents)
including spatial and temporal patterns of contaminant transport, behavior, and food chain accumulation

•The toxicity of crude oil, dispersed oil, and dispersants in targeted species, including potential human toxicity from seafood consumption