# Most of the deep ocean food supply in the Gulf of Mexico suddenly vanished, and most scientists blame the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Source: [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/animals/most-of-the-deep-ocean-food-supply-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-suddenly-vanished-and-most-scientists-blame-the-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill/) · 2026-11-13 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/most-of-the-deep-ocean-food-supply-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-suddenly-vanished-and-m-6033952a4427d94d
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In 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.

## Coverage

- [Most of the deep ocean food supply in the Gulf of Mexico suddenly vanished, and most scientists blame the Deepwater Horizon oil spill](https://www.earth.com/animals/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, 2026-11-13

Tags: deep-sea, gulf-of-mexico, oil-spill, marine-ecology, ecosystems

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science