Marine Life versus the Gulf Oil Spill: Under Siege

- Oil Spill From Space, NASA -

Birds, sea turtles, and dolphins get most of the press, but all marine organisms in the Gulf of Mexico are threatened by the catastrophic oil spill that followed the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig on April 20, 2010. Every habitat — from intertidal oyster bars and mangroves, to shallow seagrass beds, to coral reefs, deepwater sand plains, and pelagic Sargassum algae — includes hundreds of species of invertebrates (coral, barnacles, snails, clams, starfish, sea urchins, sponges, and others) that depend upon clean water to survive. Even though the leak has been effectively stopped, authorities around the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys remain vigilant, watching for long-term effects of the oil and dispersants. This website is here to remind everyone about the marine habitats and the other 15,000 marine plants and animals that deserve our attention.

This summer, join us to explore this topic here and in the accompanying exhibit, “Under Siege: Marine Invertebrates at Risk in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys,” at the Museum of the Earth. The exhibit includes specimens from Paleontological Research Institution’s collections of species living below the surface that are at risk of being affected by the oil spill. You can also see a video of the partially capped oil pipe nearly a mile below the ocean’s surface, and read news bulletins (updated weekly) on the topic. Here are a few of the specimens on display.

Conch Shell

Amber Pen Shells and Rock Boring Urchins

Pillar Coral

Eastern Oysters

This site made possible by donations from Dr. Harry Lee and Mr. Philip Bartels.