On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform suffered a loss of well control that resulted in a large explosion and fire, killing eleven men.
Two days later, on April 22, 2010, the drilling platform sank, severing the riser pipe at the seabed and initiating an uncontrolled discharge of oil and gas from the broken wellhead.
Joye began studying methane and hydrocarbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico in 1994, putting her in a strong position to contribute to the scientific response efforts during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.
Joye was a member of the shore-based scientist team in the first academic expedition in response to the oil spill on board the R/V Pelican (May 5, 2010) that was led by Arne Diercks and Vernon Asper.
She was the chief scientist on the second academic research expedition on board the F.G. Walton Smith, which sailed in late May 2010.

Work conducted on the R/V Pelican expedition led to the discovery of deepwater oil plumes, hydrocarbon rich layers in the water column that were neutrally buoyant above the seafloor but well below the surface (at about 1050 m below the surface; about 450 m above the bottom).
This finding was very controversial and was received initially with a great deal of skepticism.
During the F.G. Walton Smith expedition, National Public Radio ran a story about the deepwater plumes that garnered more national attention.
After the expedition, Joye testified before Congress in a hearing before the House Energy and Environment Committee to share evidence that the deepwater plumes did, in fact, exist.
Shortly thereafter, the finding was confirmed by NOAA, leading to an effort to quantify the fate of the hydrocarbons hidden deep beneath the water's surface as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment.

Several months later, in mid-August 2010, Joye embarked on another mission to attempt to explore the fate of discharged oil and gas.
On that expedition, Joye reported another controversial finding: the discovery of recently deposited oil-rich layers on the seabed, suggesting that some of the Deepwater Horizon oil may have been removed via sedimentation and was on the seabed.
She returned to the area in late November 2010 with the research submersible ALVIN to dive to the seafloor and obtain a firsthand view of the situation.
While this finding was also greeted initially with some degree of skepticism, it was ultimately proven correct.
The discovery of oil sedimentation as a fate for discharged oil was immensely important.
This event had a very negative on benthic fauna, including infauna and long-lived cold water coral, meaning that oil sedimentation represents a long-term impact on the benthic ecosystem.

Joye's role in the Deepwater Horizon offshore scientific response transitioned into a leading role in the post spill assessment.
She was the associate director of science of the first “Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas in the Gulf” (ECOGIG) research consortium and the project director for the second program, “Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas in the Gulf-2”.
She continues to lead ECOGIG and her research is still tracking the impacts and fate of hydrocarbons derived from the Deepwater Horizon incident.
She is also conducting studies of natural hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf and elsewhere to foster advances in understanding how microbial populations process hydrocarbons.
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform suffered a loss of well control that resulted in a large explosion and fire, killing eleven men. Two days later, on April 22, 2010, the drilling platform sank, severing the riser pipe at the seabed and initiating an uncontrolled discharge of oil and gas from the broken wellhead. Joye began studying methane and hydrocarbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico in 1994, putting her in a strong position to contribute to the scientific response efforts during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion. Joye was a member of the shore-based scientist team in the first academic expedition in response to the oil spill on board the R/V Pelican (May 5, 2010) that was led by Arne Diercks and Vernon Asper. She was the chief scientist on the second academic research expedition on board the F.G. Walton Smith, which sailed in late May 2010.
Work conducted on the R/V Pelican expedition led to the discovery of deepwater oil plumes, hydrocarbon rich layers in the water column that were neutrally buoyant above the seafloor but well below the surface (at about 1050 m below the surface; about 450 m above the bottom). This finding was very controversial and was received initially with a great deal of skepticism. During the F.G. Walton Smith expedition, National Public Radio ran a story about the deepwater plumes that garnered more national attention. After the expedition, Joye testified before Congress in a hearing before the House Energy and Environment Committee to share evidence that the deepwater plumes did, in fact, exist. Shortly thereafter, the finding was confirmed by NOAA, leading to an effort to quantify the fate of the hydrocarbons hidden deep beneath the water's surface as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment.
Several months later, in mid-August 2010, Joye embarked on another mission to attempt to explore the fate of discharged oil and gas. On that expedition, Joye reported another controversial finding: the discovery of recently deposited oil-rich layers on the seabed, suggesting that some of the Deepwater Horizon oil may have been removed via sedimentation and was on the seabed. She returned to the area in late November 2010 with the research submersible ALVIN to dive to the seafloor and obtain a firsthand view of the situation. While this finding was also greeted initially with some degree of skepticism, it was ultimately proven correct. The discovery of oil sedimentation as a fate for discharged oil was immensely important. This event had a very negative on benthic fauna, including infauna and long-lived cold water coral, meaning that oil sedimentation represents a long-term impact on the benthic ecosystem.
Joye's role in the Deepwater Horizon offshore scientific response transitioned into a leading role in the post spill assessment. She was the associate director of science of the first “Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas in the Gulf” (ECOGIG) research consortium and the project director for the second program, “Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas in the Gulf-2”. She continues to lead ECOGIG and her research is still tracking the impacts and fate of hydrocarbons derived from the Deepwater Horizon incident. She is also conducting studies of natural hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf and elsewhere to foster advances in understanding how microbial populations process hydrocarbons.
Samantha Joye