Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon Cruise (GOMECC–5)
Researchers from The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) are joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-led GOMECC–5 to study how ocean acidification affects plankton communities in the Gulf of America. This research will enhance understanding of how changes in seawater chemistry influence marine food webs and carbon cycling across the region.
GOMECC-5 Cruise Logistics
The GOMECC-5 expedition will take place aboard the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, a state-of-the-art oceanographic research vessel equipped to support multidisciplinary studies. GOMECC–5 is organized by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program and includes researchers from universities and laboratories across the Gulf region and beyond.
GOMECC-5 Dispatches
Graduate student Lauren Bomer’s dissertation will focus on this project. She will share updates and reflections from the cruise through the GOMECC–5 Dispatches, offering personal accounts and scientific insights from the expedition—highlighting the work, challenges, and discoveries made along the way.
Coming soon.
Research Overview
Under the direction of Dr. Sharon Herzka (Principal Investigator), UTMSI scientists Alfonsina (Kena) Romo Curiel, Lauren Bomer, and Sofia Armada Tapia will study zooplankton and ichthyoplankton (larval fish) during the 2025 GOMECC expedition to understand how ocean acidification and other environmental factors affect marine food webs.
Dr. Herzka’s project, funded through the OA CRUISE opportunity, complements the broader GOMECC-5 goals by examining biological responses within the pelagic ecosystem. Using fine-mesh nets, the team will collect zooplankton and ichthyoplankton to assess biomass, abundance, and community structure—focusing on pteropods, small marine snails vital to the food web. They will also analyze carbon and nitrogen content to evaluate carbon and nitrogen sources throughout the basin, nutritional quality of the zooplankton, and identify whether pteropods and other species can serve as indicators of ocean acidification in the Gulf of Mexico/America.
Our builds on existing collaborations developed for GOMECC-3 and 4 with L. Barbero at NOAA’s AOML/University of Miami, Frank Hernandez and Glenn Zapfe at NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Clara Galindo at the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada, Beth Stauffer at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Astrid Schnetzer at North Carolina State University.
More Information
Learn more about the GOMECC–5 expedition and the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program at NOAA’s official website.