Fall 2020
Helen will be primarily remote during the Spring 2021 semester. To schedule a meeting with Helen via Zoom, use the Make an Appointment link. Please email Helen at hwhite@haverford.edu if you are unable to schedule.
Education
2000 M. Chem. Master of Chemistry, Minor in American Studies - University of Sussex (U.K.)
2006 Ph.D. Chemical Oceanography - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
2007-2009 Postdoctoral Fellow, Microbial Science Initiative - Harvard University
Research
My research explores the persistence of human‐derived compounds in the marine environment, specifically those from oil and plastic waste. I am interested in understanding how the chemical structure, physical associations and the bioavailability of chemical compounds determines their cycling and eventual fate. I enjoy collaborating with students who have wide ranging interests related to the ocean and the environment.
Funding
Our research group at Haverford has been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Foundation (ACS-PRF), the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Gulf Research Program (GRP), and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.
Selected Publications (Google Scholar Profile)
1. White, H.K., A.E. Morrison, C. Dhoonmoon, H. Caballero-Gómez, M. Luu, C. Samuels, C.T. Marx, A.P.M. Michel (2020) Rapid spectroscopic techniques to identify persistent oil residues in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111718
2. Michel, A.P.M., A.E. Morrison, V. Preston, B.C. Colson, C.T. Marx, H. K. White (2020) Rapid Identification of Plastics via Spectroscopic Techniques and Classification Methods. Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c02099
3. Bullock, E.J., A.M. Schafsnitz, C.H. Wang, R.L. Broadrup, A. Macherone, C. Mayack, H.K. White (2020) Silicone wristbands as passive samplers in honey bee hives. Veterinary Sciences. 7:86. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7030086
4. Kujawinski, E.B. C.M. Reddy, R.P. Rodgers, J. Thrash, D.L. Valentine, H.K. White (2020) The first decade of scientific insights from the Deepwater Horizon oil release. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0046-x
5. Liu, Y., H.K. White, R.L. Simister, D. Waite, S.L. Lyons, E.B. Kujawinski (2020) Probing the chemical transformation of seawater-soluble crude oil components during microbial oxidation. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. https://doi/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00316
6. White, H.K., C.T. Marx, D.L. Valentine, C. Sharpless, C. Aeppli, K.M. Gosselin, V. Kivenson, R.M. Liu, R.K. Nelson, S.P. Sylva, C.M. Reddy (2019) Examining inputs of biogenic and oil-derived hydrocarbons in surface waters following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 3: 1329-1337. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00090
7. Lemkau, K.L., C. Aeppli, C.A. Carmichael, C.M. Reddy, H.K. White (2019) Hurricane Isaac brings more than oil ashore: Characteristics of beach deposits following the Deepwater Horizon spill. PLOS ONE. 14: e0213464. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213464
8. Michel, A.P.M., A.E. Morrison, C.T. Marx, H.K. White (2019) Rapid Identification of Deepwater Horizon Oil Residues using X-Ray Fluorescence. Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 6: 34-37. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00589
9. Morrison, A.E., C. Dhoonmoon, H.K. White (2018) Chemical characterization of natural and anthropogenic-derived oil residues on Gulf of Mexico beaches. Marine Pollution Bulletin 137: 501-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.051
10. Green, H.S., S.A. Fuller, A.W. Meyer, P.S. Joyce, C. Aeppli, R.K. Nelson, R.F. Swarthout, D.L. Valentine, H.K. White, C.M. Reddy (2018) Tar balls collected in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea from 1988 to 2016 have natural and anthropogenic origins. Marine Pollution Bulletin 137: 352-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.030
11. Ward, C.P., C.M. Sharpless, D.L. Valentine, D.P. French-McCay, C. Aeppli, H.K. White, R.P. Rodgers, K.M. Gosselin, R.K. Nelson, C.M. Reddy (2018) Partial photochemical oxidation was a dominant fate of Deepwater Horizon surface oil. Environmental Science & Technology. 52: 1797-1805. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b05948
12. Borowiak, C., V. Funari, j.m. ross, and H.K. White (2017) Troubled Waters: Tracing Globalization and Waste in the Delaware River. PS: Political Science & Politics 50: 193-198. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096516002420
13. White, H.K., C.H. Wang, P.L. Williams, D.M. Findley, A. M. Thurston, R.L. Simister, C. Aeppli, R.K. Nelson, C.M. Reddy (2016) Long-term weathering and continued oxidation of oil residues from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 113: 380-386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.10.029
14. White, H.K., R.N. Conmy, I.R. MacDonald, C.M. Reddy (2016) Methods of Oil Detection in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Oceanography 29(3):76-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.72
15. Buskey, E., H.K. White, and A. Esbaugh (2016) Impact of oil spills on marine life in the Gulf of Mexico: Effects on plankton, nekton, and deep-sea benthos. Oceanography 29(3):174-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.81
16. Simister, R.L., E.W. Antzis, H.K. White (2016) Examining the diversity of microbes in a deep-sea coral community impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Deep Sea Research Part II Special Issue, The Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem - Before, during, and After the Macondo Blowout 129: 157-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.01.010
17. Simister, R.L., C.M. Poutasse, A.M. Thurston, J.L. Reeve, M.C. Baker, H.K. White (2015) Degradation of Oil by Fungi Isolated from Gulf of Mexico beaches. Marine Pollution Bulletin 100: 327-333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.08.029
18. White, H.K., S.L. Lyons, S.J. Harrison, D.M. Findley, Y. Liu, E.B. Kujawinski (2014) Long-term persistence of dispersants following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1: 295-299. https://doi.org/10.1021/ez500168r
19. White, H.K., L. Xu, P. Hartmann, J.G. Quinn, C.M. Reddy (2013) The unresolved complex mixture (UCM) in coastal environments is derived from fossil sources. Environmental Science & Technology 47: 726-731. https://doi.org/10.1021/es3042065
20. White, H.K. et al. (2012) Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109 (50) 20303-20308. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118029109
Inspiration