Professor Bang Hyunwoo of Mokwon University Participates in US Marine Restoration Project

Mokwon University announced on the 16th that Professor Bang Hyun-woo (photo) from the Department of Life Sciences will participate in the marine restoration project of the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The project is being conducted to assess the restoration status of the marine ecosystem following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident (hereinafter referred to as the Horizon incident).

Professor Bang Hyun-woo. Courtesy of Mokwon University

The Horizon incident refers to the explosion of an oil drilling facility in the Gulf of Mexico, USA, on April 20, 2010, which resulted in the leakage of 770 million tons of crude oil over five months.

Professor Bang will participate in the project with research funding of $135,000 (approximately 180 million KRW) provided by Nevada State University.

The official title of the project is "Long-term Recovery and Dynamics of Deep-sea Soft Sediment Benthic Communities Following the Deepwater Horizon Spill," led by the USGS with Nevada State University as the principal research institution.

Among the project tasks, Professor Bang will participate focusing on "Benthic Copepod Analysis." Over the next five years, he will conduct research traveling between the US and Korea, providing crucial information for national policy decisions regarding the restoration and management of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Previously, Professor Bang has been conducting research on the Gulf of Mexico marine ecosystem since the year following the Horizon incident (2011), producing numerous papers and international conference presentations related to ecosystem restoration and new species discovery.

The Horizon incident is also regarded as "the worst maritime oil spill in history."

Currently, understanding the impact on and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico marine ecosystem remains a critical task. The USGS continues to conduct ecosystem restoration research in the Gulf of Mexico in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other state and federal partners.

Professor Bang stated, "I believe I was able to participate in this related project in recognition of my continuous research on the Horizon incident and related ecosystems. Through this research, I aim to confirm the possibility of marine ecosystem restoration after oil spills and secure important data necessary for the conservation and management of domestic marine ecosystems in the future."

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