Oil and coral shouldn’t mix: Deepwater Horizon still affecting deep sea coral

New research highlights the impact the Deepwater Horizon spill is still having on Gulf ecosystems, more than a decade later.

Oceans

March 7, 2024

red spiral deep sea coral — NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research | Public Domain

It’s hard to forget the images of oil-coated pelicans and sea turtles that splashed across TV screens following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The spill, which was the largest the Gulf had ever seen, covered an ocean area the size of Virginia with oil as the Coast Guard and volunteers mounted a valiant effort to contain the damage.

Pelican covered in oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of MexicoPhoto by Louisiana GOSEHP | CC-BY-SA-2.0

More than a decade later, we’re now learning that the sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins and whales we saw at the surface were not the only ocean life impacted by Deepwater’s oily plume. Scientists that have monitored 300 deep sea corals in the Gulf since the 2010 spill found that some of the coral impacted by the oil were still distressed when they returned to photograph them in 2022 and 2023, with slower growth and fewer branches compared to reference sites. Some impacted corals even appeared more prone to parasites–a sign of poor health.

Deep sea coral may live far below the surface, but these tree-shaped animals are critical parts of ocean ecosystems, forming reefs and gardens that shelter fish, crustaceans and more. They are also incredibly long-lived: around the world, scientists have found that deep sea coral can live for centuries and even millennia.

Squat lobsters on spiral white deep sea coral — NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research | Public Domain

This new science highlights (again) the unacceptable risk that offshore drilling poses for our ocean life. Putting these beautiful, hidden coral forests at risk from an oil spill, especially at a time where we are increasingly moving away from fossil fuels, is unacceptable and absurd.

There’s a lot we will need to do to end drilling off our shores. But the first step towards a future free from devastating oil spills is simple: let’s not keep investing in this dirty, dangerous form of energy production with new leasing.

Because a future without oil spills is one where we can keep these ancient, beautiful and hidden coral gardens safe for centuries more.