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Responding to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill

As ocean enthusiasts, I am sure we share a great concern for what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico and the devastating effects, both short- and long-term, of the oil spill resulting from the April 20 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling rig.

At SeaWeb, we are gearing our efforts toward providing the types of value-added resources that you have come to expect from us as a trusted source of reliable information. For example, on May 7, we released a special edition of our Marine Science Review newsletter that provides citations and abstracts of articles and reports about previous oil spills. The listed publications address a wide array of impacts on marine ecosystems, as well as effects on human health.

At SeaWeb.org, we are providing links to the most relevant news of the day related to the spill, including insightful stories covering less-obvious impacts. This compendium of stories also helps show trends in reporting about issues that may need to be addressed through policy or market-based efforts.

Look for additional critical information about the oil spill and its impacts in the next issue of our Ocean Update newsletter, which comes out twice a month. Our Ocean Voices website feature continues to profile experts on topics related to the issues of the day, and I encourage you to check in with us regularly to gain the benefit of these ocean voices. Our Marine Photobank contributors are being called upon to provide much-needed images and we will share them as they become available.

If you are interested in volunteering to help, a variety of organizations are coordinating recovery efforts, including:

Gulf of Mexico Sea Grants
The Gulf Restoration Network
National Audubon Society
The Sierra Club

The full extent of the effects of what may turn out to be the United States' largest oil spill and most devastating environmental disaster won't be fully known for years. But there are some things we do know now. We know that the spill is damaging the world's ninth largest body of water that contains half of the delicate wetlands in the United States. We know that the vast array of marine species that will be affected (at best) and killed (at worst) by the spill include mammals, reptiles and fish, including the larvae eggs of highly endangered bluefin tuna. And we know that the ocean-related economy in the Gulf region stands to absorb a mind numbing hit, as commercial and recreational fishing alone are worth $2.8 billion per year.

In the coming days, weeks, months and years, we will continue to shine a spotlight on this as well as other important issues and news related to our ocean. You can count on SeaWeb to continue to be a vital source of information and a place where a variety of voices provide invaluable perspective.

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