Disasters

Gulf Spill Devastated Marine Life

Scientist reports on environmental costs.

BP says the Gulf of Mexico will recover from the oil spill by 2012, but a scientist from the American Association for the Advancement of Science doesn’t think so. Marine life was “devastated” by the spill according to Samantha Joye. In some places, there is a layer 10 centimeters thick of dead animals and oil. The layer was deposited between June and September 2010, and there’s no sign of sea life on the ocean floor that Joye observed in May. "Filter-feeding organisms, invertebrate worms, corals, sea fans—all of those were substantially impacted—and by impacted, I mean essentially killed,” she said. “Another critical point is that detrital feeders like sea cucumbers, brittle stars that wander around the bottom, I didn't see a living (sea cucumber) around on any of the wellhead dives. They're typically everywhere, and we saw none."