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?

Rabalais is a nationally and internationally known expert in the dynamics of oxygen depleted waters (hypoxia), watersheds, nutrient pollution, and eutrophication. She wasthe featured speaker at the 2011 Roger Revelle Commemorative Lecture presented by the National Academies' Ocean Studies Board. Her presentation "Troubled Waters in the Gulf of Mexico" tackles the issues around restoration efforts.

The event was held March 29, 2011 at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Watch the videotape here.