Births Down and Deaths Up in Gulf Dolphins

Scientists are reporting a high rate of reproductive failure in dolphins exposed to oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill. The team has monitored these bottlenose dolphins in heavily oiled Barataria Bay for five years following the spill. Their findings suggest that the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be long-lasting.

Further Assessment Needed of Dispersants Used in Response to Oil Spills

Experts argue for further in-depth assessments of the impacts of dispersants on microorganisms to guide their use in response to future oil spills. Chemical dispersants are widely used in emergency responses to oil spills in marine environments as a means of stimulating microbial degradation of oil.

Deepwater Disaster: Five Years On, Not Much has Changed—Including the Impulse to Drill

The nation’s costly and dangerous dependence on fossil fuel continues to endanger the lives of U.S. workers, the health of our waters, the lifeblood of coastal economies, and the survival of wildlife. Five years later, NRDC looks back on the people and places that endured the worst of the disaster, and whose lives continue to be harmed by its impact.

Is Gulf Oil Spill’s Damage Over or Still Unfolding?

Published research suggests the BP spill hurt wildlife, wetlands and Gulf marshes in countless ways, but as with virtually everything connected to the 2010 accident, scientists say it’s simply too early to tell about the long-term damage. And because the spill hit marine and estuarine systems already facing pollution and erosion, it can be difficult to document changes and isolate causes.