Research
Most of the deep ocean food supply in the Gulf of Mexico suddenly vanished, and most scientists blame the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Earth.com · By Eric Ralls ·
The Brief
- A study suggests most of the deep ocean food supply in the Gulf of Mexico suddenly vanished.
- Most scientists cited in the report blame the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
- Marine biologists had long assumed the deep ocean was a very stable ecosystem, so the reported die-off is unexpected.
Why it matters
It suggests deep-sea ecosystems, long considered stable and hard to disturb, may be more vulnerable to human disasters than assumed.
Who’s affected
- marine biologists and deep-sea ecologists
- anyone concerned with oil spill impacts and ocean policy
- #deep-sea
- #gulf-of-mexico
- #oil-spill
- #marine-ecology
- #ecosystems
Marine biologists have always assumed the deep ocean is the safest and most stable ecosystem on the planet. Because it is so vast and isolated from human life, they believed it was practically impossible to destroy. Unfortunately, a massive die-off in the Gulf of Mexico just…