Three years after BP oil spill, new research finds massive die-off of Gulf ecosystem

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/09/1200324/-Three-years-after-BP-oil-spill-new-research-finds-massive-die-off-of-Gulf-ecosystem



Wrecked shell of the Transocean oil rig, the Deepwater Horizon, as it burns and sinks into the ocean

Three years after BP oil spill, new research finds massive die-off of Gulf ecosystem
beach babe in fl for
Tue Apr 09, 2013 at 08:41 AM PDT

Three years after the worst environmental disaster in US history, new research from the University of South Florida (USF) finds that 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.

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 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.

BP had no clue as to how to clean up the unprecedented spill so they used a product called Corexit. Corexit was the most-used dispersant in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, with Corexit 9527 having been replaced by Corexit 9500 after the former was deemed unacceptably toxic. Oil that would normally rise to the surface of the water is broken up by the dispersant into small globules that can then remain suspended in the water. In 2012, a study found that Corexit used during the Gulf spill had increased the toxicity of the oil by up to 52 times.

[leveymg]

1. "Best year for tourism, ever!" This message brought to you by your friends at BP.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I remember reading and hearing about that distinct possibility

in the weeks following the spill.
common sense seemed to indicate millions of gallons and oil and Corexit were not helpful to new and small life forms in the area.