Experts in our Office of Research and Development researchers are using a system of engineered streams – or mesocosms – to study the effects of oil spills on an entire stream ecosystem. The mesocosms allow scientists to dose the streams with oil to observe the real effects on the stream life, like mayflies, algae, and fish. “The goal of this work was to build a bridge between bench-top biological experiments and information collected in the field during an actual oil spill event,“ said #EPAer Dr. Kiara Lech, a research biologist working on the project. 🔗 Click the link in our bio to read more about this research.