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Reality Check: Five Years After Deepwater Horizon

By Courtney Mattison & Rachel Devorah
It’s a heartbreaking yet familiar scene. Oil disasters of catastrophic proportions, seeping and sludging all over marine and coastal habitats; hundreds of dead seabirds and dolphins; sick residents and failing coastal economies. The same irrevocable accidents continue to occur. It’s easy to see history repeating itself, posing the inevitable question: will we ever learn from our mistakes?
As the five-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster approaches on April 20, the effects of this devastating accident are still raw throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The 2010 catastrophe spewed approximately 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in America’s worst environmental crisis to date and the second largest oil disaster in world history next to the 1991 Gulf War spill, during which Iraqi forces intentionally released 252-336 million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf.…

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Act now to protect our ocean and fresh water

By Riki Ott, PhD on behalf of The ALERT Project
I am a survivor of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, a marine toxicologist, a commercial fisherman, and an author – turned activist. The turning happened 26 years ago today, when I flew over the wreck of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The Sound – my backyard, my fishing grounds, and most importantly, a place I loved. The giant inky stain on the water was… overwhelming. Intimidating. It was vast, and I was only one person. What could I do? As I flew over the ocean of oil, I realized I knew enough to make a difference… did I care enough? The answer, I knew, would change my life.…

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Beyond the Deepwater Horizon

On April 20, 2010, the ultra-deep drilling rig Deepwater Horizon operating 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 men and injuring 17 others. In the 87 days that the gusher flowed uncontrolled, it spewed over 200 million gallons of oil into an already stressed Gulf ecosystem.
Now, four years later we’d like to share with you several important pieces shedding light on just a few aspects of the cascading problems in Mission Blue’s Gulf of Mexico Deep Reefs Hope Spot, as well as the surrounding coastal areas of the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. 
Mission Blue would like to thank the honor roll of dedicated scientists, NGOs, grassroots organizations, government agencies, and citizens who continue to work tirelessly both to restore the Gulf, and to change future policies for a healthier tomorrow.
 “We’re four years into this disaster, not four years after it.…

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Exploring the Gulf of Mexico Deep Reefs with Megan Cook

By Megan Cook, Mission Blue Young Explorer
Megan will rejoin the E/V Nautilus in the Gulf of Mexico in late July further exploring hydrocarbon influx sites.  Participate as the team explores the Gulf of Mexico Deep Reefs Hope Spot by sending in questions to www.NautilusLive.org or by following on Twitter or Facebook. ~ Ed.
Where is your favorite coral reef? I’m willing to bet you answered somewhere tropical and warm, where the sunshine glitters into clear, shallow water bathing polyps and divers alike.  Nearby there might be a beach scene where drink umbrellas wouldn’t be out of place. That would have been my answer too, until last month… 
Descending to the seafloor took the ROV Hercules over an hour. From the control van of the E/V Nautilus, I sat with my watch team from the Corps of Exploration as HD video poured in from the ROV Hercules.…

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Oceanographer Sylvia Earle’s warnings about Gulf deserve prime-time attention

By now most of us have seen those feel-good television spots featuring a Louisianan, an Alabaman, a Mississippian and a Floridian, all smiling and boasting good-naturedly about the relative advantages of their home state as a tourist destination. With a clear emphasis on the many pleasures of the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico shared by all.
The object is to draw visitors to spotless beaches and crystal waters, along with historical attractions, golf courses and, of course, food! Endless buffets of mouth-watering dishes served fresh from the bounty of the Gulf.
The message to prospective tourists is that the widely publicized miseries brought by the April 2010 BP spill are a thing of the distant past. A homegrown BP spokesman proclaims that things are better than ever, and urges one and all to come on down!…

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Photo of the Day ~ Deepwater Horizon Disaster 2010

Today’s Photo of the Day serves as a stark reminder of the largest scale environmental disaster that has yet to befall the United States, the Deepwater Horizon Disaster.  Now, at the third anniversary of the disaster, how much have we learned? And how far have we come in terms of avoiding future disasters?
Skimmer ships, floating containment booms, anchored barriers, sand-filled barricades along shorelines and dispersants were used in an attempt to protect hundreds of miles of beaches, wetlands, and estuaries from the spreading oil from the Deepwater Horizon.
Photo (c) Daniel Beltra
Daniel Beltra Photography…

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Photo of the Day ~ Australian Flatback Sea Turtles Protected

We just received some amazing news – A hope story from Australia! After years of hard work, one of the most pristine areas on the planet and it’s critters have won protection!
So today we will take a minute to raise a glass to everyone who worked on the Kimberly project as we look forward to a better future where common sense and good science guides energy policy and development! ~ Ed.
Mission Blue partners at SeaTurtles.org have succeeded in helping Australian activists to win a major victory in the fight to save sea turtles on the pristine Kimberley coast from a massive natural gas plant!
After three years of non-stop opposition from around the world, late last week oil giant Woodside Petroleum scrapped its controversial and unpopular Browse Basin natural gas refinery at James Price Point near the town of Broome in Northwest Australia.…

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Deb Castellana: Reports on her experience along the Gulf

In light of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Deb Castellana, is on her way to the Gulf of Mexico and will be reporting first hand about her experience along the gulf. From visiting the reefs off Palm Beach, to Sanibel Island, and up the coast all the way to Venice, Louisiana and Plaquemines Parish, you can follow Deb on our Mission Blue blog. 
Deb Castellana grew up in Cold Spring Harbor, a small village on Long Island Sound in New York.  One of her earliest memories was exploring how different plants grew where the fresh spring water joined the salty marsh at the head of the harbor.
                                  
                                                                                         Cold Spring Harbor, NY   
                       Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sound, and the freshwater creeks of the North Shore, Deb was under the ocean’s spell from an early age.…

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