THE GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL AND THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY
The explosion and fire at the Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20th, 2010, caused the worse accidental marine oil spill in history. The effects of the millions of barrels of oil on the wealth of creature and plant life of the Gulf are still being assessed. The hundreds of compounds found in crude oil are extremely toxic to marine life. To make matters worse, the oil compounds have combined with the chemical dispersants, which BP used to “break up” the oil gushing from the Macondo Well, to form new compounds, which could be even more toxic to marine life. And unfortunately, prior to the oil spill, the Gulf was already experiencing areas of oxygen depletion (known as “hypoxia”), in which aquatic organisms are adversely affected.
Ironically, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, as proclaimed by the United Nations. To learn about some of the distinctive forms of marine life which make the Gulf of Mexico one of the most significant bodies of water in the world in terms of biodiversity, and about how its marine life has been affected by the oil spill, visit the websites below.
The Encyclopedia of Earth
The EoE is a searchable and reliable online resource about the Earth and its natural environments. This particular page offers a general overview of the threats posed by oil spills to fresh water and marine environments (including marshes and swamps, which are prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico). Why are marine habitats so sensitive to these threats? How are affected birds and animals rescued and cleansed of oil? Find out here.
The Encyclopedia of Life – the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
The EOL website reveals the stunning variety of life on our planet and why our world’s biological diversity is so important. The EOL’s comprehensive page on the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill addresses the biodiversity of the Gulf, and how it (both animal and plant species) has been affected by this event, using text, images, slide shows and videos. Many links to further information, news articles and blog postings are included.
The Gulf of Mexico Foundation
This non-profit organization is dedicated to the health and the sustainability of the Gulf. The GMF seeks to conserve and restore the Gulf’s waters and shores, and to educate the public about this significant body of water. Watch a video about some of the underwater creatures which live here, and learn about the “Dead Zone” (an area of serious oxygen depletion) that had already existed in the Gulf prior to the April Oil Spill. Maps, facts, audio and video are included.
NatureWorks – The Brown Pelican
Images of the BP Oil Spill often show brown pelicans covered in oil. In fact, brown pelicans, which nest in the coastal areas and small islands of the Gulf, have become the “poster children” of this disaster. Because oil destroys the insulation normally provided by a pelican’s feathers, the birds, when coated with oil, easily die from overheating in the sun, or from hypothermia if night-time temperatures are low. Learn more about brown pelicans on the NatureWords website – a colourful online resource suitable for both children and adults.
Web Tip:
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Marine Biology – the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
The threatened Atlantic Bluefin Tuna spawns in only two locations in the world: the Mediteranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Satellite data from the European Space Agency this fall indicates that more than 20% of juvenile Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf were killed by the BP Oil Spill. However, in the last 30 years, the overall global population of bluefin tuna had already dropped 82%, due to overfishing. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has therefore re-categorized this fish as “Critically Endangered” -the highest rating before extinction.
Sea Turtles, Dolphins and Whales of the Gulf of Mexico
The U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s website discusses how green turtles, hawksbill turtles, Kemp’s Ridley turtles, loggerhead turtles, bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, melon-headed whales and other species of these marine animals have been affected by the Gulf Oil Spill. (To find further information about each of these species, scroll down and click on the appropriate species link.)
National Wildlife Federation – the BP Oil Spill
Five species of sea turtles live and nest in the waters and shores of the Gulf. It’s one of Earth’s greatest concentrations of sea turtle species. However, exposure to oil is harmful and often fatal at every stage of a sea turtle’s life – to the egg, hatchling and adult turtle – and also to its food sources (such as plankton and sargassum). The NWF also addresses the possible long-term impacts of the April Oil Spill on fish, other aquatic wildlife, mammals, birds, and on the habitats of the Gulf of Mexico coastline, and includes information about the 1989 Exxon Valdex Oil Spill as well as a section for children.
National Geographic Online – The Gulf Oil Spill
The October 2010 issue of National Geographic Magazine featured the animals and habitats of the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal wetlands, explaining how they have been affected both by the April Oil Spill and the dispersants used to dissolve the oil, and how various species may continue to be affected in the future. The website offers text, maps, photos, interactive pictures and a link to the National Geographic’s coverage of the impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in 1989.
“Treasures of the Gulf”
The “Treasures of the Gulf” webcast addresses the coastal habitats of the Gulf and its islands, its birds, sea creatures and coastal wildlife, as well as the vegetation. It includes coral reefs, which are important to marine diversity, serving as the habitat of hundreds of species of fish, sea stars, crabs, urchins and anemones. The planet’s third-largest barrier reef is located near the Florida Keys, in the Gulf of Mexico. It, and the other reefs of the Gulf, had already shrunk by half when the oil spill occurred. (It is interesting to note that this webcast was made long before the BP Oil Spill.) Note: RealPlayer is required.
