Gulf of Mexico: Related Content

  • The Oil Spill, Two Years Later

    Two years ago last week, on April 20, 2010, an explosion on the oil-drilling rig Deepwater Horizon caused the largest marine oil spill in history, gushing nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil over the course of three months.

  • Mark Dodd, a wildlife biologist from Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, surveying oiled sargassum seaweed in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

    Oiled Seaweed after the Gulf Oil Spill

    Mark Dodd, a wildlife biologist from Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, surveying oiled sargassum seaweed in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Learn more about how the ecosystem is faring after the spill in this slideshow and blog post.

  • A scientist collects oil-laden "sand patties" on a Louisiana beach two years after the oil spill.

    Scientist Collects Oil on the Gulf Coast

    A scientist, Chris Reddy from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, collects oil-laden "sand patties" on a Louisiana beach two years after the oil spill. Watch a video of Chris Reddy talking about the effects of oil spills on marshes.

  • Pelicans Roost at oil spill "ground zero" two years later.

    Pelicans Roost at Oil Spill "Ground Zero"

    Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, brown pelicans roost on a mangrove island at the spill's "ground zero," said James Morris of the University of South Carolina. "The impact to this island was great. The recovery is impressive."

    More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • Oil Drilling Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

    Oil Drilling Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

    Bonny Schumaker, cofounder of the nonprofit On Wings of Care, flies over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill area every few weeks to survey for wildlife -- and on April 6, 2012, when this picture was taken, she was pleasantly surprised. "We were pleased to see very few of the surface oil slicks we've seen on every previous flight for the past nearly two years," she wrote on her blog.

  • Dark brown oil floods a marsh after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

    Oily Marsh after the Oil Spill

    Dark brown oil floods a marsh on the Mississippi Delta after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on May 18, 2010. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • Dolphins swimming among oily patches in the Gulf of Mexico

    Dolphins Swim in Oily Waters

    Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) observed in emulsified oil on April 29, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, a few days after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It's going to take years to understand how the oil spill will impact marine mammals because they are so mobile.

  • Pelicans gather at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

    Pelicans Perch on Oil Booms

    GRAND ISLE, La. -- Brown pelicans congregate on containment boom that surrounds Queen Bess Island, a few miles north of Grand Isle, Louisiana on August 25, 2010, a few months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The island is a sensitive nesting area for brown pelicans. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • A deep-sea octopod wraps itself around a submersible’s robotic arm in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Octopod on Submersible Arm

    A deep-sea octopod wraps itself around a submersible’s robotic arm 2,300 meters (7,546 feet) down in the Gulf of Mexico. "Most octopuses will let you get close, maybe even touch them, but normally they'll try to run once the manipulator gets close," said Bruce Strickrott, pilot of the submersible Alvin. Explore more octopod content and learn more in our Deep Ocean Exploration section.

  • <p>Inside the control van for the remotely operated vehicle <em>Jason</em>, Roark and colleagues watch the ROV collecting deep-sea coral specimens.</p>

    Views from the ROV Jason

    Inside the control van for the remotely operated vehicle Jason, Dr. Brendan Roark and colleagues watch the ROV collecting deep-sea coral specimens. This NOAA expedition took place in November 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Florida. Learn more about deep-sea corals in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."

  • These deep-sea corals at the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve are protected, along with the marine life they harbor.

    Protected Deep-sea Corals

    These deep-sea corals at the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve in the Gulf of Mexico are protected, along with the marine life they harbor. Learn more about deep-sea corals and marine protected areas in our Deep-sea Corals article.

  • A whale shark swimming in the water.

    Tagging Along With Whale Sharks

    The sea's largest fish has been a mystery until recent decades. Thanks to electronic tags, researchers are uncovering some of the secrets of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828). One tagged animal, dubbed "Rio Lady," swam some 5,000 miles during a span of 150 days. Another dove to a depth of 6,324 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. These sharks are attracting scientists and tourists alike to places like the Yukatan Peninsula.

  • Woods Hole researchers sample oil from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico

    Woods Hole Scientists Respond to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

    Woods Hole scientists operate an ROV to sample the oil spewing from the ruptured Macondo Well.  After the April 20, 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) administrators and investigators were among those whom BP and the federal government called for advice and assistance.  

  • Scientists From Woods Hole Respond to Gulf Oil Spill

    Oil Spill Pioneers: A look back at the pioneers and oil spill research that stretches back more than four decades at WHOI.Oil burns during a controlled fire May 6, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. CREDIT: Justin E. Stumberg/U.S. Navy

    How Much Oil?: Scientists from WHOI provide the most accurate estimates of the amount of oil and gas that was entering the water from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Science in a Time of Crisis: Assessing the Impacts

    Part 6 of a 6-part series describing WHOI's efforts to understand the scope and impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "Assessing the Impacts" describes a range of work by WHOI scientists in the months after the spill.

  • Science in a Time of Crisis: Tracking the Currents

    Part 5 of a 6-part series describing Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's efforts to understand the scope and impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "Tracking the Currents" follows work by WHOI's Breck Owens to deploy an autonomous underwater glider to map and monitor currents in the Gulf immediately after the spill and throughout the summer.

  • What Lives in the Gulf of Mexico? Exploring Marine Collections on Google Earth

    When he was 10 years old, Stephen Cairns lived in Cuba where he kept a collection of butterflies and sea shells. When his family moved to Louisiana, he could bring only one of the collections with him. He chose the shells. He says that is when he knew he was going to be a marine biologist.

  • Lecture: One Year After the Gulf Oil Spill

    On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, opening up a well that pumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the ocean. It was the largest spill in U.S. history. In this presentation given at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on April 19, 2011, experts discuss oil spill remediation, wildlife rescue, and the health of the Gulf of Mexico and its fisheries one year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began:

  • A screenshot of some of Smithsonian's marine story windows in Google Earth

    Smithsonian Marine Collections on Google Earth

    Dive into the Gulf of Mexico without getting wet! The Smithsonian has recently uploaded some of its marine collections from that region onto Google Earth's Ocean Layer. Now you can go where our scientists have traveled and discover the biodiversity that exists beneath the water's surface. Want to see Google Earth's ocean layer in action?

  • The Gulf Oil Spill: Send in Your Questions

    With the nuclear and humanitarian crisis in Japan, major political changes in North Africa and the Middle East, and heated budget battles here in the United States, you'd be forgiven for not remembering that nearly one year ago the Gulf of Mexico was dominating the news.

    On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and opening up a well that pumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the ocean. It was the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

    One year later, where do things stand?

  • Dr. Nancy Rabalais: Troubled Waters in the Gulf of Mexico

    The Deepwater Horizon oil spill brought the world’s attention to the Gulf of Mexico and raised awareness of the region’s chronic loss of wetlands and the massive dead zone caused by excess nutrients from the Mississippi River. In this presentation, Dr. Nancy Rabalais outlines the challenges to develop and implement large-scale restoration plans for the Gulf Coast ecosystem.

  • Multiple Coast Guard helicopters, planes and cutters responded to rescue the Deepwater Horizon's crew in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people died in the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the rig, which resulted in the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

    Deepwater Horizon Rig

    Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, while a Coast Guard MH-65C dolphin rescue helicopter and crew search for survivors and document the fire on April 21, 2010. Multiple Coast Guard helicopters, planes and cutters responded to rescue the Deepwater Horizon's 126 person crew in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people died in the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the rig, which resulted in the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Learn more in the Gulf Oil Spill section.

  • How Do You Prepare for a Hurricane? Students Tell Us How

    How should you prepare for a hurricane? Students from Bay High School in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi--who were participating in the Third Student Summit on the Ocean & Coasts--created this instructional video to help show the importance of storm preparation and evacuation techniques. The students presented the video at the Student Summit, held at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC on February 15, 2011.

  • 2011 Student Summit on the Ocean & Coasts Webcast, Part 4

    Recorded Feb. 15, 2011, this video from the Third Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts includes presentations that were given by delegations from the Mystic Aquarium (01:00), Gulf Coast Research Laboratory & Marine Education Center (17:00), Seattle Aquarium (30:15) and the Waikiki Aquarium (44:30).

  • 2011 Student Summit on the Ocean & Coasts Webcast, Part 2

    Recorded Feb. 15, 2011, this video from the Third Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts includes public awareness and education presentations that were presented by delegations from the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (2:20), Shedd Aquarium (17:30), Veracruz Aquarium (30:15) and the Aquarium of the Pacific (43:50).

  • 2011 Student Summit on the Ocean & Coasts Webcast, Part 1

    Recorded Feb. 15, 2011, this video from the Third Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts includes a tribal song written and sung by Suquamish Tribal member Bearon Old Coyote; a welcome to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History by Director Dr. Cristian Samper; a lecture about the "Interconnection Among the Ocean, Coasts, Great Lakes & Climate" by the Smithsonian's Sant Chair of Marine Science, Dr. Nancy Knowlton.

  • Head shot of Dr. Nancy Rabalais of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.

    Lecture: "Troubled Waters in the Gulf of Mexico"

    The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill brought the world's attention to the Gulf of Mexico and raised awareness of the region's chronic loss of wetlands as well as the massive dead zone caused by excess nutrients from the Mississippi River. Today the challenge is to develop and implement large-scale restoration plans for the Gulf Coast ecosystem. Dr. Nancy N. Rabalais asks: Are we up for the challenge?

  • An aerial shot of oil rigs off the Louisiana coast.

    Oil Rigs off the Louisiana Coast

    A still from SOLA: Louisiana Water Stories, part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital.

  • Smithsonian Collections on Google Earth

    This video tour gives you a glimpse of how to explore Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History collections using Google Earth. To take your own tour, download Google Earth and dive down to the Gulf of Mexico to begin to explore the Smithsonian's marine collections.

  • A “pink meanie” jellyfish feeds on a moon jelly.

    It’s a Jelly Eat Jelly World

    A “pink meanie” jellyfish (Drymonema larsoni)—a species found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean—feeds on a moon jelly (Aurelia). Dr. Keith Bayha from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Dr. Michael Dawson from the University of California, Merced recently discovered that the pink meanie represents not only a new species, but an entirely new family of jellyfish.

  • Oil on the water’s surface in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

    Official Report on Gulf Oil Spill Released

    The National Oil Spill Commission has released findings from its investigation into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Read the final report or watch the video summary. Then, save the date for the panel discussion One Year After the Gulf Oil Spill here at the Smithsonian and via live webcast on April 19, 2011 at 6:30 pm (EDT).

  • Underwater Robots Explore the Ocean

    A student prepares the glider's internal electronics. CREDIT: Provided by Rutgers University Glider Technology Now Used to Study Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

    The first underwater robotic vehicle—or “glider”—to cross an ocean is the centerpiece of a new temporary exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, through Rutgers University, carried out the trans-Atlantic journey in 2009, just months before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico became the first U.S. oil spill where glider technology was applied.

  • Giant Isopod from the Gulf of Mexico

    Giant Isopod

    This giant isopod (a crustacean related to shrimps and crabs) was collected from the cold, deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico in 2006. Scientists believe that it is one of about nine species in the genus Bathynomus.

  • Hurricane Katrina

    Hurricane Katrina Swirls Over the Gulf of Mexico

    Hurricane Katrina battered the city of New Orleans and many other areas of the Gulf Coast when it came ashore in August 2005. Dr. Isaac Ginis, a Professor of Oceanography at The University of Rhode Isalnd, will discuss how scientists model and forecast hurricanes around the world in his talk "Eye on the Storm: Predicting a Hurricane's Path of Destruction." Catch the live Webcast at 6:00 pm (EDT) on Thursday October 7, 2010.

  • NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources - Marine Life and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

    The NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources just launched an oil spill web site which includes more details, photos, and tables about species affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Response to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    Rutgers University Coastal Ocean Observing Lab (COOL) along with partners from several federal agencies, companies, many universities and non-profits are developing a portal that will consolidate many data streams to help response efforts. This portal includes blogs, data, satellite and radar imagery as well as links to news and information about the oil spill response.

  • Gulf of Mexico Alliance Environmental Education Network

    The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. It has the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Environmental Education Network (GOMAEEN) coordinates education and outreach around the Gulf Coast and is an excellent resource for news, information and educational materials related to the Gulf of Mexico.

  • This map shows the localities represented by the Gulf of Mexico collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.

    Map of Gulf of Mexico Collection

    This map shows the localities represented by the Gulf of Mexico collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. The Smithsonian has been collaborating with the Minerals Management Service since the 1970s to archive collections from marine surveys, resulting in more than 300,000 lots. It is estimated that the Smithsonian holds about 58% of all the publicly available specimen-based records from the Gulf of Mexico. This provides an important baseline for comparative surveys. The Museum’s Dr.

  • Marine ecologist Dr. Jeremy Jackson and a team of researchers conducted an in-depth study of the effects of a 1986 oil spill on the coast of Panama.

    Marine Ecologist Jeremy Jackson Discusses Oil Spills

    Marine ecologist Dr. Jeremy Jackson and a team of researchers conducted an in-depth study of the effects of a 1986 oil spill on the coast of Panama. In this video, Dr. Jackson discusses the study, its lessons for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and major threats to the ocean today.

  • Animals and the Oil Spill: What Can You Do?

    Lately we’ve been fielding questions from Smithsonian visitors wondering how they can help with the oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico. If there is any good news coming out of this situation, it’s that thousands of people across the U.S. care deeply and are finding ways to respond to the oil spill.

  • Researchers on a boat try to to catch an oiled pelican in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast.

    Netting an oiled pelican in the Gulf of Mexico

    Carl Pellegrin (left) of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Tim Kimmel of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepare to net an oiled pelican in Barataria Bay, La., Saturday, June 5, 2010. The pelican was netted and transported to a facility on Grand Isle, La., for stabilization before being taken to Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Venice, La., for cleaning. State and federal wildlife agencies are cooperating across the Gulf Coast to rescue wildlife affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

  • An autonomous underwater vehicle from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) being launched from the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Autonomous Underwater Vehicle in Gulf of Mexico

    An autonomous underwater vehicle from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) being launched from the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in the Gulf of Mexico. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill section.

  • The Invisible Loss: The Impacts of Oil You Do Not See

    Since late April, the world has watched a devastating oil spill from a BP drilling rig spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico and become one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the United States.

  • Taking the Ocean Personally

    Last week, we began asking visitors to the Ocean Portal a simple question: “How do you feel about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?"

  • Oil leaks from cars and other vehicles contribute to ocean pollution.

    Oil Leak on Roadway

    Oil leaks from cars and other vehicles contribute to ocean pollution.

  • A placard warns residents that water—and anything else—that goes own this storm drain makes its way into the Potomac River and, eventually the ocean.

    Marked Storm Drain

    A placard warns residents that water—and anything else—that goes own this storm drain makes its way into the Potomac River and, eventually the ocean.

  • Photograph of an oiled brown pelican squatting on the beach.

    Brown Pelican covered in oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill

    On June 3, 2010 a brown pelican, the Louisiana state bird, stands mired in oil in East Grand Terre. According to reports, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was contacted, and biologists rescued about 20 oiled birds from the area. In November 2009 the brown pelican’s removal from the list of endangered species was widely celebrated. It was added to the list in 1970.

  • Workers contracted by BP load oily waste onto a trailer on Elmer&#039;s Island, just west of Grand Isle, La., May 21, 2010.

    Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Workers

    Workers contracted by BP load oily waste onto a trailer on Elmer's Island, just west of Grand Isle, La., May 21, 2010. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • Photo collage of six species of invertebrates.

    Invertebrates from the Gulf of Mexico

    The Smithsonian's Department of Invertebrate Zoology has a collection of over 57,000 specimens from over 5,700 sites in the Gulf of Mexico. Below is a tiny sample.

  • Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs

    The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil spill website, hosted by the four GOM Sea Grant programs, provides visitors with access to a wealth of data concerning the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Website content will be continually updated, and visitors should check back often for new and revised information.

  • Encyclopedia of Life Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill 2010

    The oil spill from the offshore drilling platform Deepwater Horizon has reached the US Gulf Coast. Many commercial fisheries as well as sport-fishing will be impacted by the spill. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is concerned about impacts on beach-nesting, wading and sea birds, as well as turtles, and fisheries, but many other species in coastal and off-shore habitats are affected. US Federal and State agencies are posting information to a common portal.

  • Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    This blog was created through the Pelican’s Nest Science Lab located at the Fairhope K-1 Center to provide links to resources, information, and activities for students and teachers that want to know more about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Please check back often.

    The group will add new resources regularly. If you have anything to share please email it to them or post it in the comments.

  • Self Contained Gulf Oil Spill Kit

    A kit you can create to help your students understand the impacts of the Gulf Of Mexico oil spill. Easily contained in a box so clean up is easy...as compared to oil spills in real life! For more information, please see http://OceanAndYou.com

  • The National Museum of Natural History&#039;s Department of Invertebrate Zoology has developed an online map that provides information about invertebrates in the National Collection from areas impacted by the oil spill.

    Google map of invertebrates in oil spill region

    The National Museum of Natural History's Department of Invertebrate Zoology has developed an online map that provides information about invertebrates in the National Collection from areas impacted by the oil spill. In the Gulf of Mexico, over 57,000 invertebrates (points on the map) from 5,789 distinct collecting sites from 14 MMS survey programs (point colors) have been cataloged.

  • This oiled pelican was observed in Louisiana one month after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.

    Oiled pelican

    This oiled pelican was observed in Louisiana one month after the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The brown pelican is Louisiana’s state bird, only recently removed from the endangered species list. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • Threats & Solutions

    Read for yourself as Dr. Sylvia Earle makes the case for saving the Gulf of Mexico and investing in its further study and exploration. Learn about turtle rescue efforts in the Gulf and where you can access daily updates from the field. Get an overview of resources dedicated to assessing the human health risks from oil, dispersants, and contaminated sea food.

  • Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) workers contracted by BP clean up oil on the beach in Port Fourchon, La. May 23, 2010.

    Oil spill cleanup workers

    Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) workers contracted by BP clean up oil on the beach in Port Fourchon, La. May 23, 2010. Hundreds of HSE contract workers are cleaning up oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill, which began washing up on beaches here one month after the drilling unit exploded. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • Photograph of a small sea turtle held in gloved hands, with a small wading pool in the background.

    Kemp’s ridley sea turtle recovers from oil

    A young Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) recovers at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Turtles were cleaned and nursed back to health with the help of New England Aquarium staff.

  • Science

    Get a quick overview of useful online resources from NOAA , and find out how a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute submersible will help NOAA study the oil plume. Watch what researchers like Chris Reddy of WHOI know about the long-term impacts of spilled oil, and see what the Smithsonian Gulf of Mexico invertebrate collections look like on a Google Map.

  • Oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico impacts the coast at Pass a Loutre, La.

    Oil on blue gloved hand

    Oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico impacts the coast at Pass a Loutre, La. Photo was taken on June 2, 2010. More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf oil spill featured story.

  • Oil burns during a controlled fire May 6, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Burn

    Oil burns during a controlled fire on May 6, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard oversaw oil burns after the sinking, and subsequent massive oil leak, from the Deepwater Horizon oil platform off the coast of Louisiana. Learn more about the spill's environmental impact in our Gulf Oil Spill section.

  • Gulf Coast of Florida tidal flats exposed by an early morning low tide.

    Low Tide on the Gulf Coast

    Gulf Coast of Florida tidal flats exposed by an early morning low tide

  • Gulf Oil Spill

    The Gulf oil spill is recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Within days of the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people, remote underwater cameras revealed the BP pipe was leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor about 42 miles off the coast of Louisiana. By the time the well was capped on July 15, 2010, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf.

  • Dr. Erica Miller, of the Louisiana State Wildlife Response Team, cleanses an oil-covered pelican in Plaquemines Parish, LA.

    Cleaning an Oiled Pelican in Louisiana

    Dr. Erica Miller of the Louisiana State Wildlife Response Team cleans oil form a pelican in Plaquemines Parish, LA. Wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico have been heavily impacted by an ongoing oil spill that began April 20, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform exploded and sank.

  • A Current Event in the Classroom: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    Sometimes, a tragic event can become a powerful teaching opportunity. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has the potential to capture students’ attention and stimulate discussion on topics like:

    • biology and ecology (How will the oil effect wildlife and the environment?),

    • physics and chemistry (How do water conditions, currents, and weather affect the way the oil disperses? What techniques and materials can we use to clean up this mess?),

  • State of Emergency in the Gulf

    The explosion of Deepwater Horizon, an oil-drilling platform roughly 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, is quickly growing into an environmental disaster that will leave its mark on coastal communities, fisheries, wildlife, and ecosystems along the Gulf Coast for decades to come.

  • These bleached corals in the Gulf of Mexico are the result of increased water temperatures.

    Bleached Corals

    What is coral bleaching? These white corals in the Gulf of Mexico’s Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary are bleached due to an increase in water temperatures, which causes corals to lose the microscopic algae that provide them with food. Bleaching spells trouble for coral reefs. Learn more in the Coral Reefs section.

  • Census researchers discovered this sea cucumber (Enypniastes sp.) in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Transparent Sea Cucumber

    Census of Marine Life researchers discovered this unusual transparent sea cucumber (Enypniastes sp.) in the Gulf of Mexico. It creeps forward on its tentacles, sweeping detritus-rich sediment into its mouth. So far Census researchers have discovered more than 5,000 new species. They expect to find many more.

  • The Puzzle of Ice Age Americans

    Students describe alternative theories for arrival of first humans to come to America. Students explain evidence for these theories and explain how exploration of a submerged segment of Gulf Of Mexico coast may give insight into origin of native Americans. Students describe role of skepticism in scientific theory.

    For more information:
    http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

  • Loop Current of the Gulf of Mexico

    This activity can be used for the study of currents with special attention on the Loop current of the Gulf of Mexico.

    For more information: http://cosee-central-gom.org.

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