Friday, May 28, 2010

Scramble on to gather data on oil spill affects

Researchers from across the country have traveled down to the gulf of mexico where the recent oil spill occurred. They are looking to gather data that can help to understand the effects that crude oil has on the food chains and food webs of the organisms living in the waters. They are curious to see if animals like shellfish are absorbing the oil through the water themselves or if the oil is entering their system through the plankton that they consume. Some researchers believe that the food chains of the ocean are being shifted because of the presence of oil. They think that some organisims are shifting to different food sources due to the oil.

The oil spill in the Gulf has been devastating to the region and the species that live in the ocean. Many people are just thinking about the short term affects of this problem--how many fish is it killing? But the bigger and more serious issue is that the oil spill may be causing an alteration of the aquatic food web. A shift in the feeding habits could be even more drastic of a change than a bunch of fish dying. If a large shift was made than it could lead to a slippery slope of problems including overpopulation of species as well as endangering a species. The research these scientists are doing is very important when it comes to protecting the biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. If scientists and researchers can understand what is occurring in the Gulf they may be able to help solve the problem. Too often these types of oil spills occur and this calls for stricter laws for preventing these disasters but also stricter and better protocols for dealing with the spills. Swifter action needs to be taken next time an oil spill occurs, which is hopefully far in the future.


Marshall, Jessica. "Scramble on to gather data on oil spill affects." 27 May 2010: n. pag. Web. 28 May 2010.
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2 comments:

  1. SyAnDeNe eVaNsMay 28, 2010 at 3:18 PM

    I think the the oil spill is definitely changing the food webs and that it's naive for people to think that its not. As you said, the oil spill doesn't mean that it kills a lot of fish, but it also changes the biological makeup of the organisms living in the contaminated waters. They probably will end up migrating to different locations in order to find another supply of food and that will change everything about the marine life in the gulf coast.

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  2. Justin.GraffMay 28, 2010 at 3:35 PM

    Hindsight is a powerful yet common phenomenon. Only after some time will we see the true extent of the havoc wreaked by the spill. How many species will become endangered or even extinct? And which species will reap the largest rewards? We can't tell as of yet how it will all turn out. We must take the best course of action in containing the spill and hope that the ecosystem isn't thrown off too much.

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