"Spots of solid petroleum residues and oily mats can still be found in coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study."
"Fiddler crabs build their burrows in beaches and in the muck of saltwater wetlands. Usually, those holes serve as the crabs’ home and provide each crustacean shelter and a quick escape from predators. But in some long-abandoned fiddler crab burrows along Louisiana’s Gulf coast, you’ll find something else: Residues of crude oil.
The worst oil spill in human history unfolded over 87 days in 2010. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, leased by fossil fuel giant BP and operated by drilling contractor Transocean, exploded on April 20 about 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana before capsizing and sinking two days later. Eleven workers were killed and 17 others injured in the initial rig failure. Many more cleanup workers and Gulf Coast residents were also harmed.
At its peak, the damaged underwater oil well was dumping more than 60,000 barrels of crude oil into the ocean daily, according to U.S. estimates. In total, the spill poured about 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Marine and coastal life suffered terribly, and tens of thousands of sea turtles, millions of fish, thousands of whales and dolphins, hundreds of thousands of birds, and untold numbers of other organisms died in the aftermath."
Lauren Leffer reports for Earther August 10, 2022.
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