Abstract
This special issue of Oceanography is the culmination of a decade of research supported by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). The collection of articles describes key advances, surprises, and novel discoveries for the Gulf of Mexico and other regions where GoMRI research was conducted and has application. Also included are lessons learned and outstanding research needs and gaps to inform future activities and efforts. While the issue is not exhaustive, the authors have done their best to represent GoMRI’s main scientific accomplishments and provide overviews that facilitate access to the published literature (over 1,500 papers) produced by the program. This body of work has been achieved through wide-ranging interdisciplinary and collaborative research, which has contributed significantly to our knowledge of oil spills and the oceanographic and ecological processes that sustain the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.