When oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill first began washing ashore on Pensacola Municipal Beach in June 2010, populations of sensitive microorganisms, including those that capture sunlight or fix nitrogen from the air, began to decline.
In this seminar, which is free and open to the public, scientists will present the latest fisheries-related research about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and dispersant application on Gulf of Mexico habitats, communities, and individual species.
Last week more than 1,000 scientists, agency staff, students and others met in Houston, Texas, to continue the conversation about oil spill science at the 2015 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystems conference.
Scientists from Troy University and the University of Copenhagen, who are studying potential oil spill impacts on seafloor-dwelling marine life, examined microscopic invertebrates that live in the sediment (meiofauna).
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative encourages its science community to help shape federal disaster response and strengthen the Nation’s preparedness level and response to oil spills.
The BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill dumped millions of gallons of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico nearly five years ago, but the effects still linger.