15 years after the BP oil spill disaster, how is the Gulf of Mexico faring? – Mongabay
The Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20, 2010, was the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, releasing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico…Fifteen years later, the gulf ecosystem shows a complicated picture of both resilience and lingering damage, with some species, like brown pelicans, recovering, while others, like humans, dolphins and deep-sea corals, continue to struggle with long-term health impacts.
Louisiana’s coast is sinking. Advocates say the governor is undermining efforts to save it – the Washington Times
A new Republican governor is taking aim at the state’s coastal protection agency…
Where Seas are Rising at Alarming Speed – the Washington Post
One of the most rapid sea level surges on Earth is besieging the American South, forcing a reckoning for coastal communities across eight U.S. states…At more than a dozen tide gauges spanning from Texas to North Carolina, sea levels are at least 6 inches higher than they were in 2010 — a change similar to what occurred over the previous five decades…
Hurricanes are intensifying more rapidly – and the most vulnerable communities are hit hardest – the Guardian
Hurricanes are more frequently escalating quickly, and the places they destroy may be those disadvantaged by racist housing policy…
A ‘collapse’ is looming for Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, scientists say – the Washington Post
Scientists say the overwhelming majority of the state’s wetlands — a natural buffer against hurricanes — are in a state of ‘drowning’ and could be gone by 2070…
Can recycled glass help restore Louisiana’s eroding coastline? – the Guardian
Dave Clements, owner of Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge, a beloved dive bar in New Orleans, has watched Louisiana’s coast shrink year after year.
“I used to go fishing quite a bit down in Delacroix area. Me and my buddy would go out in a flat boat,” he says. Clements remembers finding “a little spot, a little island” where he and his friend would take breaks while fishing for redfish, sheepshead, speckled trout and flounder. When they went back to the same spot a month later, the patch of land was gone. “I actually stopped fishing because it was so depressing..”
Restoring Louisiana’s Shoreline, One Glass Bottle at a Time – GIZMODO
Glass Half Full is redirecting glass from landfills and turning it into much-needed sand.
Louisiana’s shoreline is rapidly eroding due to sea level rise and extreme weather fueled by climate change. But a scrappy New Orleans glass recycling initiative, Glass Half Full, is rounding up as many of the city’s glass bottles as possible to create sand for coastal restoration.
The team, a winner of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair, got started in 2020…
Endangered sea turtles found on Louisiana islands for first time in 75 years – the Guardian
For the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier