FROM THE GUEST EDITORS • About the Special Issue
By Rita Colwell, John Shepherd, Michael Feldman, Chuck Wilson, Rick Shaw, and Margaret Leinen

From Disaster to Understanding: Formation and Accomplishments of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
By Leigh A. Zimmermann, Michael G. Feldman, Debra S. Benoit, Michael J. Carron, Nilde Maggie Dannreuther, Katie H. Fillingham, James C. Gibeaut, Jennifer L. Petitt, Jarryl B. Ritchie, Rosalie R. Rossi, Stephen H. Sempier, J. Kevin Shaw, Jessie L. Swanseen, Charles A. Wilson, Callan J. Yanoff, and Rita R. Colwell

The Gulf of Mexico: An Overview
By Larry D. McKinney, John G. Shepherd, Charles A. Wilson, William T. Hogarth, Jeff Chanton, Steven A. Murawski, Paul A. Sandifer, Tracey Sutton, David Yoskowitz, Katya Wowk, Tamay M. Özgökmen, Samantha B. Joye, and Rex Caffey

What Was Released? Assessing the Physical Properties and Chemical Composition of Petroleum and Products of Burned Oil
By Jürgen Rullkötter and John W. Farrington

Physical Transport Processes that Affect the Distribution of Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Modeling
By Michel Boufadel, Annalisa Bracco, Eric P. Chassignet, Shuyi S. Chen, Eric D’Asaro, William K. Dewar, Oscar Garcia-Pineda, Dubravko Justić, Joseph Katz, Vassiliki H. Kourafalou, Ian R. MacDonald, Tamay M. Özgökmen, Claire B. Paris-Limouzy, Scott S. Socolofsky, David Halpern, and John G. Shepherd

Biogeochemical Processes Affecting the Fate of Discharged Deepwater Horizon Gas and Oil: New Insights and Remaining Gaps in Our Understanding
By John W. Farrington, Edward B. Overton, and Uta Passow

A Decade of GoMRI Dispersant Science: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for the Future
By Antonietta Quigg, John W. Farrington, Sherryl Gilbert, Steven A. Murawski, and Vijay T. John

Considerations for Scientists Getting Involved in Oil Spill Research
By Kenneth M. Halanych and David G. Westerholm

GoMRI Insights into Microbial Genomics and Hydrocarbon Bioremediation Response in Marine Ecosystems
By Shannon Weiman, Samantha B. Joye, Joel E. Kostka, Kenneth M. Halanych, and Rita R. Colwell

Impacts of Petroleum, Petroleum Components, and Dispersants on Organisms and Populations
By Steven A. Murawski, Martin Grosell, Cynthia Smith, Tracey Sutton, Kenneth M. Halanych, Richard F. Shaw, and Charles A. Wilson

Effects of Petroleum By-Products and Dispersants on Ecosystems
By Kenneth M. Halanych, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Erik E. Cordes, Richard E. Dodge, Markus Huettel, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Steven A. Murawski, Claire B. Paris-Limouzy, Patrick T. Schwing, Richard F. Shaw, and Tracey Sutton

Prospects for Gulf of Mexico Environmental Recovery and Restoration
By Denis A. Wiesenburg, Bob Shipp, F. Joel Fodrie, Sean Powers, Julien Lartigue, Kelly M. Darnell, Melissa M. Baustian, Cam Ngo, John F. Valentine, and Kateryna Wowk

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
By Paul A. Sandifer, Alesia Ferguson, Melissa L. Finucane, Melissa Partyka, Helena M. Solo-Gabriele, Ann Hayward Walker, Kateryna Wowk, Rex Caffey, and David Yoskowitz

Technological Developments Since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
By Nilde Maggie Dannreuther, David Halpern, Jürgen Rullkötter, and Dana Yoerger

Preparedness, Planning, and Advances in Operational Response
By David G. Westerholm, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Christopher H. Barker, Peter G. Brewer, John W. Farrington, Dubravko Justić, Vassiliki H. Kourafalou, Steven A. Murawski, John G. Shepherd, and Helena M. Solo-Gabriele

Summary of Findings and Research Recommendations from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
By Charles A. Wilson, Michael G. Feldman, Michael J. Carron, Nilde Maggie Dannreuther, John W. Farrington, Kenneth M. Halanych, Jennifer L. Petitt, Jürgen Rullkötter, Paul A. Sandifer, J. Kevin Shaw, John G. Shepherd, David G. Westerholm, Callan J. Yanoff, and Leigh A. Zimmermann

Moored Observations of Current and Temperature in the Alas Strait: Collected for Submarine Tailing Placement, Used for Calculating the Indonesian Throughflow
By R. Dwi Susanto, Jorina M. Waworuntu, Windy Prayogo, and Agus Setianto

The Rise of Dynamical Oceanography—A Fragmentary Historical Note: The Stommel-Munk Correspondence, 1947–1953
By Carl Wunsch

QUARTERDECK • Oceanography Happenings
By Ellen S. Kappel

FROM THE PRESIDENT • TOS Makes Progress on its Strategy 2030: Looking to the Future
By Andone C. Lavery

FROM THE TOS JEDI COMMITTEE • TOS Expands Efforts to Promote Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Ocean Sciences
By Erin Meyer-Gutbrod, Frank Muller-Karger, and the TOS Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee

TRIBUTE • Larry Philip Atkinson (1941–2020)
By Gregory Cutter and Louis Codispoti

RIPPLE MARKS • Surgical Masks on the Beach: COVID-19 and Marine Plastic Pollution
By Cheryl Lyn Dybas

OCEAN EDUCATION • Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative Trains Students to See Through Turbulent Systems
By Kristina Cammen, Gabriella Marafino, Sarah Burton, Jillian Dow, Emma Dullaert, Madalyn Jorge, Kate Macolini, Louise McGarry, Christopher Tremblay, Jessica Jansujwicz, Tora Johnson, Lauren Ross, and Gayle Zydlewski

OCEAN EDUCATION • Virtual and Remote—Hands-On Undergraduate Research in Plankton Ecology During the 2020 Pandemic: COVID-19 Can’t Stop This!
By Pierre Marrec, Andria Miller, Lucie Maranda, and Susanne Menden-Deuer

THE OCEANOGRAPHY CLASSROOM • A New Way of Learning
By Simon Boxall

CAREER PROFILES • OPTIONS AND INSIGHTS: John W. Farrell
By John W. Farrell

CAREER PROFILES • OPTIONS AND INSIGHTS: Francis K. Wiese
By Francis K. Wiese

Rita Colwell, University of Maryland
John Shepherd, University of Southampton
Michael Feldman, Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Chuck Wilson, Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
Rick Shaw, Louisiana State University
Margaret Leinen, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Production of this issue of Oceanography was supported by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.