ON THE FLOOR OF THE GULF OF MEXICO — Just 20 miles north of where BP’s blown-out well spewed millions of gallons of oil into the sea, life appears bountiful despite initial fears that crude could have wiped out many delicate deepwater habitats.
Plankton, tiny suspended particles that form the base of the ocean’s food web, float en masse 1,400 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, forming a snowlike underwater scene as they move with the currents outside the windows of a two-man sub creeping a few feet off the seafloor.
Crabs, starfish and other deep-sea creatures swarm small patches of corals, and tiny sea anemones sprout from the sand like miniature forests across a lunar-like landscape illuminated only by the lights of the sub, otherwise living in a dark environment far from the sun’s reach.
Scientists are currently in the early stages of studying what effects, if any, BP PLC’s April 20 oil-well blowout off Louisiana and the ensuing crude gusher had on the delicate deep-sea coral habitats of the northern gulf.
So far, it appears the area dodged a bullet, but more research is needed. Some of the deep-sea corals near the spill site were discovered only last year.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard said Saturday that an area of discolored water near a Mississippi River pass south of New Orleans appears to be an algae bloom, but another spot 10 miles away could be oil.
“Originally, when we saw the trajectory for the oil spill and where it was going, we were very concerned that these habitats would be impacted,” said researcher Steve Ross of the Center for Marine Science at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Long-term effects?
Ross and others are conducting research from a Greenpeace ship in the gulf, using a two-man sub as they work to determine if the corals have suffered damage, or may take a hit from long-term impacts, such as stunted reproduction rates.
“We thought certainly that . . . we would see signs of damage,” Ross said. “And we’re very pleased to say so far that in these locations, we haven’t seen a large-scale damage to the coral habitats. We’re still looking, but so far, it’s good.”
Ross was part of a team of researchers that studied deep- sea corals in the Atlantic Ocean between North Carolina and Florida.
The federal government maintains that much of the oil is now gone from the gulf, but some studies indicate it remains in significant amounts on the seafloor. Microscopic particles have been found in the water column.
Now is a prime time for coral spawning in the gulf, when the corals release tiny larvae that eventually form new corals.
“It could alter the reproduction of these animals,” said Steve Murawski, chief fisheries scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Even though the adults may survive the event, did we lose the opportunity to have more juveniles produced?”
