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.

This presentation was taped at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) on March 29, 2011. Dr. Rabelais, the executive director and professor at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, is a nationally and internationally known expert in the dynamics of oxygen depleted waters, watersheds, nutrient pollution, and eutrophication. This was the 12th annual Roger Ravelle Commemorative Lecture, presented by the National Academies' Ocean Studies Board, the National Science Resources Center, and NMNH.