Coral Damage From BP Oil Spill Is Worse Than We Thought
Coral Damage From BP Oil Spill Is Worse Than We Thought
By Futurity | Sun, 03 August 2014 00:00 |
Damage to coral reefs from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was even more far-reaching than originally believed.
Because the oil from the spill has largely dissipated, researchers say other clues are now needed to identify marine species that were affected by it.
For a new study, scientists used the current conditions at a coral community known to have been impacted by the spill in 2010 as a model “fingerprint” for gauging the spill’s impact in newly discovered coral communities.
“The footprint of the impact of the spill on coral communities is both deeper and wider than previous data indicated,” says Charles Fisher, professor of biology at Penn State.
“This study very clearly shows that multiple coral communities, up to 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) from the spill site and at depths over 1,800 meters (5,900 feet), were impacted by the spill.”
More:
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Coral-Damage-From-BP-Oil-Spill-Is-Worse-Than-We-Thought.html