U. South Florida Study - 3 Years After BP, Massive Die-Off At Base Of Gulf Marine Food Chain

[hatrack]

The oil that spewed into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon disaster three years ago killed off millions of amoeba-like creatures that form the basis of the gulf's aquatic food chain, according to scientists at the University of South Florida.

The die-off of tiny foraminifera stretched through the mile-deep DeSoto Canyon and beyond, following the path of an underwater plume of oil that snaked out from the wellhead, said David Hollander, a chemical oceanographer with USF. "Everywhere the plume went, the die-off went," Hollander said.

The discovery by USF scientists marks yet another sign that damage from the disaster is still being revealed as its third anniversary looms. Although initially some pundits said the spill wasn't as bad as everyone feared, further scientific research has found that corals in the gulf died. Anglers hauled in fish with tattered fins and strange lesions. And dolphins continue dying.

The full implications of the die-off are yet to be seen. The foraminifera are consumed by clams and other creatures, who then provide food for the next step in the food chain, including the types of fish found with lesions. Because of the size of the spill, the way it was handled and the lack of baseline science in the gulf, there's little previous research to predict long-term effects.

EDIT

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/gulf-oil-spill-killed-millions-of-microscopic-creatures-at-base-of-food/2113157

[GliderGuider]

1. So it goes.

So it goes.

[phantom power]

2. I wonder how long we can keep playing giant-jenga with the biosphere

[pscot]

3. Let's pull this one out

and see what happens.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Just as predicted.

Which is why so many people down here have been continually irate since the spill.
Marine biologists and others quickly came to realize that sinking the oil with Corexit would keep most of the toxins
on the bed and below water of the Gulf, destroying the micro-orgainisms that are needed for the food chain.

All those tar sands chunks sink in water immediately, btw, and are caustic as well as toxic.
There is going to be hell to pay.