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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Student(s):Taylor Thornton, Aniyah Davis, Kennedy Dubose, Camille Hebert
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Educator(s):Angela Lee
Contributors:
Report Type(s):Standard Research Report
Protocols:Alkalinity, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Salinity, Water Transparency
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:03/13/2023
The deepwater horizon oil spill was a drastic and catastrophic spill of oil in the Gulf of Mexico that occurred in April of 2010. The oil spill caused a loss of 8.7 billion dollars, and 22,000 people lost their jobs. It also harmed a lot of the population of sea life, many that people fished to make a living. It also killed 11 people and injured 17 people. To this day there are still lasting effects of the 2010 deepwater horizon oil spill in the water. We interviewed a worker of the seafood industry at the time. He stated that they lost wages, because they were instructed not to catch anything for a year. Likely because the animals they caught would be contaminated with chemicals from the oil spill. He also states that the boats were not running for about a year, likely because they were instructed not to catch anything. Because of this he lost a lot of wages. Many other people were in the same situation as him and lost money that they counted on to make a living. We also went to the gulf of Mexico 5 different times to test the water. Each time we went we tested the sediment, dissolved oxygen, Nitrate Nitrogen Low range, total Alkalinity, and salinity levels. Our research from this experience shows that there are still many lasting effects of the 2010 Deepwater horizon oil spill in the water, one including chemicals still in the gulf of Mexico waters.



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