“And because we have zero and thirty, in other words, freshwater and full saltwater, we can combine those to provide any salinity we want to any point in the building,” said Dr. Griffitt, pointing to two large water tanks in back of the building.

Gulf Coast Research

“There aren't, in all honesty, six other universities in the country that have the capability that this one has. And most importantly, the capabilities that this building has, are ones that are designed from the ground up, to answer questions of relevance to the gulf coast,” said Dr. Joe Griffitt, during remarks before the ribbon cutting.

“So, the water coming out of this building, after it's had toxins in it, is just as clean as the water coming into this building,” explained a GCRL employee, during the facility tour.

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“They're concerned that the oyster numbers have really been down since Deepwater Horizon. So, we're trying to find out for them, are there still high levels of contaminants out there,” Dr. Maria Rogers explained, during a tour of the lab facilities.

This week's headline about the largest dead zone ever measured in the gulf, is the very type of subject this new lab can tackle.

“One of the things we're hoping to do going forward, is continue figuring out what the interaction between hypoxia and oil exposure is. Because when you expose fish or shrimp or crabs to those two stressors simultaneously, it has a greater effect than either of the two alone,” said Dr. Griffitt.

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That’s because university leaders cut the ribbon on a new facility at Gulf Coast Research Lab. One speaker said that USM is close to closing the chapter on Katrina recovery projects, with this latest new building.

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The new building replaces the one heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. But it’s more than bouncing back, said Dr. Monty Graham.

“Resiliency is bouncing forward, it's about whatever you put back in place of what you lost, that it is better. And it is one step further along that process,” Dr. Graham told the crowd.

GCRLSummer Field Program

These new lab facilities are equipped for controlled environment experiments, measuring the impact of all sorts of toxins or contaminants on gulf marine life.