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.
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.
Researchers have confirmed that methane-derived carbon has entered the Gulf’s food web through tiny organic particles floating in the Gulf.
With buckets and shovels in hand, scientists have collected and are analyzing oil found in the sediments of Gulf coast beaches.