New work on the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster shows that the damage was not limited to the visible oil slick and the coastline. Scientists studied animals in the deep waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico: krill, squid, shrimp and other groups. According to the study, in the first three and a half years after the spill, their numbers in the surveyed area decreased by 60-85%. Follow-up did not provide clear signs of complete recovery. This is especially important for the food chain: small inhabitants of the depths serve as prey for large predators.
The authors compared net samples, acoustic measurements and genetic data. Nine follow-up surveys from 2015 to 2023 were compared with the original sample collected after the disaster. This set of methods makes the conclusion stronger than one measurement at one point. Moreover, the connection with the spill was established by a combination of observations and the exclusion of other possible causes, and not through an experiment in which the ocean can be divided into two identical parts. Practical meaning of the work: environmental monitoring after major accidents should continue for years and include deep-sea layers. Otherwise, you can declare restoration based on the surface condition and not see the lasting damage below.