NOAA Studies Documenting the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Scientists collect samples and assess health of a bottlenose dolphin on a boat.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment researchers collect samples in 2011 from one of the Barataria Bay dolphins closely studied in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This dolphin was later found dead in early 2012. (NOAA)

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, releasing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.


As caretakers of the critical resources damaged by the spill, the state and federal trustees, including our scientific colleagues at universities and institutions around the Gulf, are engaged in a rigorous, scientific process of injury assessment. Years after the spill, we are still analyzing the data, conducting studies, and evaluating what happened. NOAA's efforts in this regard have generated tens of thousands of samples, millions of analytical results, and more than a dozen studies published so far.


The Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process is a thorough and time-consuming process by which we evaluate the best scientific evidence available to ensure we understand the injuries caused by the spill, as well as the most appropriate means to restore those injuries and to compensate for the lost use of the Gulf's resources while they are injured.


Below are the published results of NOAA's efforts as of 2018. These studies help advance general scientific understanding and were paid for, partly, or entirely, by NRDA funding. These studies have been published in the following peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Deep Sea Corals and Benthos

Baguley, J.G., P. A. Montagna, C. Cooksey, J. L. Hyland, H.W. Bang, C. Morrison, A. Kamikawa1, P. Bennetts, G. Saiyo, E. Parsons, M. Herdener, and M. Ricci. 2015. Community response of deep-sea soft-sediment metazoan meiofauna to the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 528: 127–140. doi:10.3354/meps11290. May 28.


Balthis, William L., Jeffrey L Hyland, Cynthia Cooksey, Paul A Montagna, Jeffrey G Baguley, Robert W Ricker, Christopher Lewis. 2017. Sediment Quality Benchmarks for Assessing Oil-Related Impacts to the Deep-Sea Benthos. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1898.


Bang, H.W., J.G. Baguley, and H. Moon. 2014. A new genus of Cletopsyllidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from Gulf of Mexico. ZooKeys, (391), 37. March 19.


Doughty, C.L., A.M. Quattrini, and E.E. Cordes. 2014. Insights into the population dynamics of the deep-sea coral genus Paramuricea in the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Research II, 99:71-82. January.


Etnoyer, P.J., L.N. Wickes, M. Silva, J.D. Dubick, E. Salgado, L. Balthis, and I.R. MacDonald. 2015. Decline in condition of sea fans on mesophotic reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico: before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-015-1363-2


Fisher, C.R., P.A. Montagna, and T.T. Sutton. 2016. How did the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact deep-sea ecosystems? Oceanography 29(3):182–195, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2016.82.


Fisher, C.R., A.W.J. Demopoulos, E.E. Cordes, I.B. Baums, H.K. White, and J.R. Bourque. 2014. Coral Communities as Indicators of Ecosystem-Level Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Spill. BioScience, 64(9):796–807. doi:10.1093/biosci/biu1292014. September.


Fisher, C.R., P-Y Hsing, C.L. Kaiser, D.R. Yoerger, H.H. Roberts, W.W. Shedd, E.E. Cordes, T.M. Shank, S.P. Berlet, M.G. Saunders, E.A. Larcom, and J.M. Brooks. 2014. Footprint of Deepwater Horizon blowout impact to deep-water coral communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. doi:10.1073/pnas.1403492111. July 28.


Hsing P-Y, B. Fu, E.A. Larcom, S.P. Berlet, T.M. Shank, A.F. Govindarajan, A.J. Lukasiewicz, P.M. Dixon, and C.R. Fisher. 2013. Evidence of lasting impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep Gulf of Mexico coral community. Elementa Science of the Anthropocene. December 4.


Montagna, P.A., J.G. Baguley, C. Cooksey, I. Hartwell, L.J. Hyde, J.L. Hyland, R.D. Kalke, L.M. Kracker, M. Reuscher, A.C.E. Rhodes. 2013. Deep-Sea Benthic Footprint of the Deepwater Horizon Blowout. PLoS ONE. August 7.


Montagna, Paul A., Jeffrey G Baguley, Cynthia Cooksey, and Jeffrey L Hyland. 2016. Persistent Impacts to the Deep Soft-Bottom Benthos One Year After the Deepwater Horizon Event. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1791


Montagna, Paul A., Jeffrey G. Baguley, Chien-Yi Hsiang, Michael G. Reuscher. 2017.Comparison of sampling methods for deep-sea infauna. Limnol. Oceanogr.: Methods 15, 2017, 166–183. doi: 10.1002/lom3.10150


Reuscher, Michael G., Jeffrey G. Baguley, Nathan Conrad-Forrest, Cynthia Cooksey, Jeffrey L. Hyland, Christopher Lewis, Paul A. Montagna, Robert W. Ricker, Melissa Rohal, Travis Washburn. 2017. Temporal patterns of Deepwater Horizon impacts on the benthic infauna of the northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope. PLOS ONE. June 22. 


Prouty, N.G., C.R. Fisher, A.W.J. Demopoulos, and E.R.M. Druffel. 2014. Growth rates and ages of deep-sea corals impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.10.021. November 8.


Quattrini, A.M., P.J. Etnoyer, C. Doughty, L. English, R. Falco, N. Remon, M. Rittinghouse, and E.E. Cordes. 2014. A phylogenetic approach to octocoral community structure in the deep Gulf of Mexico. Deep Sea Research II, 99:92-102. January.


Quattrini, A.M., S.E. Georgian, L. Byrnes, A. Stevens, R. Falco, and E.E. Cordes. 2013. Niche divergence by deep-sea octocorals in the genus Callogorgia across the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico. Molecular Ecology, 22(15):4123-40. doi:10.1111/mec.12370. June 20.


Silva, M., P.J. Etnoyer, and I.R. MacDonald. 2015. Coral injuries observed at mesophotic reefs after the Deepwater Horizon oil discharge. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.05.013


Washburn, Travis, Michael G. Reuscher, Paul A. Montagna, Cynthia Cooksey, Jeffrey, L. Hyland. Macrobenthic community structure in the deep Gulf of Mexico one year after the Deepwater Horizon blowout.Submitted to: Deep-Sea Research I


Washburn, Travis., Adelaide C.E. Rhodes, Paul A. Montagna. 2016. Benthic taxa as potential indicators of a deep-sea oil spill. Ecological Indicators 71:587-597 doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.07.045


White, H.K., P.Y. Hsing, W. Cho, T.M. Shank, E.E. Cordes, A.M. Quattrini, R.K. Nelson, R. Camilli, A. Demopoulos, C.R. German, J.M. Brooks, H.H. Roberts, W. Shedd, C.M. Reddy, and C.R. Fisher. 2012. Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico [PDF]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. March 27.


White, H.K., P.Y. Hsing, W. Cho, T.M. Shank, E.E. Cordes, A.M. Quattrini, R.K. Nelson, R. Camilli, A. Demopoulos, C.R. German, J.M. Brooks, H.H. Roberts, W. Shedd, C.M. Reddy, and C.R. Fisher. 2012. Reply to Boehm and Carragher: Multiple lines of evidence link deep-water coral damage to Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 190(40). October 2.

Fish and Invertebrate Toxicity

Alloy, M.M., D. Baxter, J.D. Stieglitz, E.M. Mager, R.H. Hoenig, D.D. Benetti, M. Grosell, J.T. Oris, and A.P. Roberts. 2016. Ultraviolet Radiation Enhances the Toxicity of Deepwater Horizon Oil to Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) Embryos. Environmental science and technology 50(4):2011-2017. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b05356.


Alloy M.M., I. Boube, R.J. Griffitt, J.T. Oris, and A. P. Roberts. 2015. Photo‐induced toxicity of Deepwater Horizon slick oil to blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) larvae. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 34(9):2061-2066. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.3026.


Alloy, M., T. Garner, K. Bridges, C. Mansfield, M. Carney, H. Forth, M. Krasnec, C. Lay, R. Takeshita, J. Morris, S. Bonnot, J. Oris, and A. Roberts. 2017. Co-exposure to sunlight enhances the toxicity of naturally weathered Deepwater Horizon oil to early life stage red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and speckled seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(3):780-785.


Block, B. A., J. W., Bograd, Carlisle, A. B., Castleton, M. R., Ganong, J. E., Hazen, E. L., Schallert R. J., Stokesbury, M. Quantifying overlap between the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and predicted bluefin tuna spawning habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 33824 (2016). doi: 10. 1038/srep33824.


Brette, F., B. Machado, C. Cros, J.P. Incardona, N.L. Scholz, and B.A. Block. 2014. Crude oil impairs cardiac excitation-contraction coupling in fish. Science, 343:772-776. February 14.


Bridges K.N, Lay, C.R., Alloy, M.M., Gielazyn, M.L., Morris, J.M., Forth, H.P., Takeshita, R., Travers, C.L., Oris, J.T., Roberts, A.P. Estimating Incident Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation Exposure in the Northern Gulf of Mexico During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 23 Feb 2018.


Bridges, K.N., Krasnec, M.O., Magnuson, J.T., Morris, J.M., Gielazyn, M.L., Chavez, J.R., Roberts, A. P. Influence of Variable Ultraviolet Radiation and Oil Exposure Duration on Survival of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) Larvae. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 01 June 2018.


Brown-Peterson, N.J., M. Krasnec, R. Takeshita, C.N. Ryan, K.J. Griffitt, C. Lay, G.D. Mayer, K.M. Bayha, W.E. Hawkins, I. Lipton, J. Morris, and R.J. Griffitt. 2015. A multiple endpoint analysis of the effects of chronic exposure to sediment contaminated with Deepwater Horizon oil on juvenile southern flounder and their associated microbiomes. Aquatic Toxicology 165(August):197–209. Available: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166445X15001733.


Brown-Peterson, N.J., M.O. Krasnec, C.R. Lay, J.M. Morris and R.J. Griffitt. 2017. Responses of juvenile southern flounder exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil-contaminated sediments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(4):1067-1076.


Cheemalapati, S., H.P. Forth, H. Wang, K.R. Konnaiyan, J.M. Morris, and A. Pyayt. 2017. Measurement of thickness of highly inhomogeneous crude oil slicks Applied Optics 56(11):E72-E76.


Edmunds R.C., J.A. Gill, D.H. Baldwin, T.L. Linbo, B.L. French, T.L. Brown, A.J. Esbaugh, E.M. Mager, J. Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, and D. Benetti. 2015. Corresponding morphological and molecular indicators of crude oil toxicity to the developing hearts of mahi mahi. Scientific Reports 5:17326. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep17326.


Esbaugh, A.J., E.M. Mager, J.D. Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, T.L. Brown, B.L. French, T.L. Linbo, C. Lay, H. Forth, N.L. Scholz, J.P. Incardona, J.M. Morris, D,D. Benetti, and M. Grosell. 2016. The effects of weathering and chemical dispersion on Deepwater Horizon crude oil toxicity to mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) early life stages. Science of the Total Environment, Volume 543, Part A. February 2016.


Forth, H.P., C.L. Mitchelmore, J.M. Morris, and J. Lipton. 2017. Characterization of oil and water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(6):1460-1472.


Forth, H.P., C.L.Mitchelmore, J.M. Morris, C.R. Lay, and J. Lipton. 2017. Characterization of dissolved and particulate phases of water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon natural resource damage assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(6):1460-1472.



Incardona, J.P., Gardner, L.D., Linbo, T.L., Swarts, T.L., Esbaugh, A.J., Mager, E.M., Stieglitz, J.D., French, B.L., Labenia, J.S., Laetz, C.A., Tagal, M., Sloan, C.A., Elizur, A., Benetti, D.D., M. Grosell, B.A. Block, and N.L. Scholz. 2014. Deepwater Horizon crude oil impacts the developing hearts of large predatory pelagic fish [PDF]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. March 24.


Incardona, J.P., T.H. Swarts, R.C. Edmunds, T.L. Linbo, A. Aquilina-Beck, C.A. Sloan, L.D. Gardner, B.A. Block, and N.L. Scholz. 2013. Exxon Valdez to Deepwater Horizon: comparable toxicity of both crude oils to fish early life stages. Aquatic Toxicology, 142-143:303-316. October 15.


Jones, E.R., C.J. Martyniuk, J.M. Morris, M.O. Krasnec, and R.J. Griffitt. 2017. Exposure to Deepwater Horizon oil and Corexit 9500 at low concentrations induces transcriptional changes and alters immune transcriptional pathways in sheepshead minnows. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology – Part D: Genomics and Proteomics 23:8-16.


Klinger D.H., J.J. Dale, B.E. Machado, J.P. Incardona, C.J. Farwell, and B.A. Block. 2015. Exposure to Deepwater Horizon weathered crude oil increases routine metabolic demand in chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus. Marine Pollution Bulletin 98(1):259-66. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.06.039.


Lotufo, G., D. Farrar, J. Biendenbach, J. Gaird, M. Krasnec, C. Lay, J. Morris, and M. Gielazyn. 2016. Effects of sediment amended with Deepwater Horizon incident slick oil on the infaunal amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus. Marine Pollution Bulletin 109(1):253-258. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.05.073.


Mager, E.M., A.J. Esbaugh, J.D.Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, C. Bodinier, J.P. Incardona, N.L. Scholz, D.D. Benetti, and M. Grosell. 2014. Acute Embryonic or Juvenile Exposure to Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil Impairs the Swimming Performance of Mahi-Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus). Environmental Science and Technology. doi:10.1021/es501628k. May 23.


Mager, E.M., C. Pasparakis, L.S. Schlenker, Z. Yao, C. Bodinier, J.D. Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, J.M. Morris, D.D. Benetti, M. Grosell. 2017. Assessment of early life stage mahi-mahi windows of sensitivity during acute exposures to Deepwater Horizon crude oil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.3713/full.


May, L.M., A.R. Burnett, C.V. Miller, E. Pisarski, L.F. Webster, Z.J. Moffitt, P. Pennington, E. Wirth, G. Baker, R. Ricker, C.M. Woodley. May 2020. Effect of Louisiana sweet crude oil on a Pacific coral, Pocillopora damicornis. ScienceDirect. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166445X19306307?.... 


Pie H.V., E.J. Schott, and C.L. Mitchelmore. 2015. Investigating physiological, cellular and molecular effects in juvenile blue crab, Callinectus sapidus, exposed to field-collected sediments contaminated by oil from the Deepwater Horizon Incident. Science of the Total Environment 532:528-539. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.022


Reddam, A., Mager, E.M., Grosell, M., McDonald, M. D. 2017. The impact of acute PAH exposure on the toadfish glucocorticoid stress response. Aquatic Toxicology. Volume 192, November 2017, Pages 89-96.


Stieglitz J.D., E.M. Mager, R.H. Hoenig, M. Alloy, A.J. Esbaugh , C. Bodinier, D.D Benetti , A.P. Roberts, and M. Grosell. 2016. A novel system for embryo-larval toxicity testing of pelagic fish: Applications for impact assessment of Deepwater Horizon crude oil. Chemosphere 162:261-268. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.07.069.


Stieglitz, J. D., E.M. Mager, R.H. Hoenig, D.D. Benetti, and M. Grosell. 2016. Impacts of Deepwater Horizon crude oil exposure on adult mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) swim performance. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 35(10):2613-2622. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.3436.


Vignier, J., L. Donaghy, P. Soudant, F.L. Chu, J.M. Morris, M.W. Carney, C. Lay, M. Krasnec, R. Robert, and A.K. Volety. 2015. Impacts of Deepwater Horizon oil and associated dispersant on early development of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Marine Pollution Bulletin 100(1):426–437. Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X15005159.




Volety, A., M. Boulais, L. Donaghy, J. Vignier, A.N. Loh, and P. Soudant. 2016. Application of Flow Cytometry to Assess Deepwater Horizon Oil Toxicity on the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica Spermatozoa. Journal of Shellfish Research 35(1):91-99. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.2983/035.035.0111


Marine Mammals


Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Protected Marine Species. This is a special issue of Endangered Species Research that contains 20 scientific studies by NOAA scientists and partners on the impacts of the 2010 Gulf oil spill on marine mammals and sea turtles. Endangered Species Research. Vol 33, published Jan 31, 2017.


Balmer, B.C., et al. 2015. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in blubber of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, USA.. The Total Environment, 527: 306-312. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.016. May 14.


Colegrove, K.M., S. Venn-Watson, J. Litz, M.J. Kinsel, K.A. Terio, E. Fougeres, R. Ewing, D.A. Pabst, W.A. McLellan, S. Raverty, J. Saliki, S. Fire, G. Rappucci, S. Bowen-Stevens, L. Noble, A. Costidis, M. Barbieri, C. Field, S. Smith, R.H. Carmichael, C. Chevis, W. Hatchett, D. Shannon, M. Tumlin, G. Lovewell, Wayne McFee, T.K. Rowles. 2016. Fetal distress and in utero pneumonia in perinatal dolphins during the Northern Gulf of Mexico unusual mortality event. Dis Aquat Org, 119:1-16. April 12.


Hildebrand, J.A., S. Baumann-Pickering, K.E. Frasier, J.S. Trickey, K.P. Merkens, S.M. Wiggins, M.A. McDonald, L.P. Garrison, D. Harris, T.A. Marques, and L. Thomas. 2015. Passive acoustic monitoring of beaked whale densities in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientific Reports, 5, 16343. doi:10.1038/srep16343. November 12.


Lane, S.M., C.R. Smith, J. Mitchell, B.C. Balmer, K.P. Barry, T. McDonald, C.S. Mori, P.E. Rosel, T.K. Rowles, T.R. Speakman, F.I. Townsend, M.C. Tumlin, R.S. Wells, E.S. Zolman, and L.H. Schwacke. 2015. Reproductive outcome and survival of common bottlenose dolphins sampled in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Proc. R. Soc. B, 282 20151944. doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.1944. November 4.


Litz, J.A., M.A. Baran, S.R. Bowen-Stevens, R.H. Carmichael, K.M. Colegrove, L.P. Garrison, S.E. Fire, E.M. Fougeres, R. Hardy, S. Holmes, W. Jones, B.E. Mase-Guthrie, D.K. Odell, P.E. Rosel, J.T. Saliki, D.K. Shannon, S.F. Shippee, S.M. Smith, E.M. Stratton, M.C. Tumlin, H.R. Whitehead, G.A.J. Worthy, and T.K. Rowles. 2014. Review of historical unusual mortality events (UMEs) in the Gulf of Mexico (1990-2009): providing context for the multi-year northern Gulf of Mexico cetacean UME declared in 2010 [PDF]. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. Vol. 112:161-175. December 2.


Mullin, K. D., K. Barry, C. Sinclair, J. Litz, K. Maze-Foley, E. Fougeres, B. Mase-Guthrie, R. Ewing, A. Gorgone, J. Adams and M. Tumlin. 2015. Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana: 2007 to mid-2014 [PDF]. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-673. 43pp. doi:10.7289/V51C1TT8. February.


Mullin, K. D., Trent McDonald, Randall S. Wells, Brian C. Balmer, Todd Speakman, Carrie Sinclair, Eric S. Zolman, Fawn Hornsby, Shauna M. McBride, Krystan A. Wilkinson, Lori H. Schwacke. Density, abundance, survival, and ranging patterns of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Mississippi Sound following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. PLoS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186265.  October 2017.


Schwacke, L.H., C.R. Smith, F.I. Townsend, R.S. Wells, L.B. Hart, B.C. Balmer, T.K. Collier, S. De Guise, M.M. Fry, L.J. Guillette, Jr., S.V. Lamb, S.M. Lane, W.E. McFee, N.J. Place, M.C. Tumlin, G.M. Ylitalo, E.S. Zolman, and T.K. Rowles. 2013. Health of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Environmental Science and Technology, 48 (1):93–103, December 18. Supplementary information [PDF].


Schwacke, L.H., C.R. Smith, F.I. Townsend, R.S. Wells, L.B. Hart, B.C. Balmer, T.K. Collier, S. De Guise, M.M. Fry, L.J. Guillette, Jr., S.V. Lamb, S.M. Lane, W.E. McFee, N.J. Place, M.C. Tumlin, G.M. Ylitalo, E.S. Zolman, and T.K. Rowles. 2014. Response to Comment on Health of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Barataria Bay, Louisiana Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Environmental Science and Technology. doi:10.1021/es5009278. March 13.


Sinclair, C., J. Sinclair, E. Zolman, A. Martinez, B. Balmer, and K. Barry. 2015. Remote Biopsy Sampling Field Procedures for Cetaceans Used During the Natural Resource Damage Assessment of the MSC252 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill [PDF]. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-670. 28pp. doi:10.7289/V5CC0XN0. February.


Van Dolah, F.M., M.G. Neely, L.E. McGeorge, B.C. Balmer, G.M. Ylitalo, et al. 2015. Seasonal Variation in the Skin Transcriptome of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Northern Gulf of Mexico. PLoS ONE, 10(6): e0130934. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130934. June 25.


Venn-Watson, S., L. Garrison, J.A. Litz, E.M. Fougeres, B.E. Mase, G. Rappucci, E. Stratton, R. Carmichael, D.K. Odell, D.K. Shannon, S.F. Shippee, S.M. Smith, L. Staggs, M.C. Tumlin, H.R. Whitehead, and T.K. Rowles. 2015. Demographic Clusters Identified within the Northern Gulf of Mexico Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncates) Unusual Mortality Event: January 2010 - June 2013. PLoS ONE, 10(2): e0117248. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117248. February 11.


Venn-Watson, S., C.R. Smith, E.D. Jensen, and T.K. Rowles. 2013. Assessing the potential health impacts of the 2003 and 2007 firestorms on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops trucatus) in San Diego Bay. Inhalation Toxicology, 25(29):481-491. doi:10.3109/08958378.2013.804611. August.


Venn-Watson, S., K.M. Colegrove, J. Litz, M. Kinsel, K. Terio, J. Saliki, et al. 2015. Adrenal Gland and Lung Lesions in Gulf of Mexico Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Found Dead following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.. PLoS ONE, 10(5): e0126538. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0126538. May 20.


Wells, R.S., C.R. Smith, J.C. Sweeney, F.I. Townsend, D.A. Fauquier, R. Stone. 2014. Fetal survival of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Aquatic Mammals, 40(3):252-259. doi:10.1578/AM.40.3.2014.252. August 26.


Natural Resources Economic Value


Eric English, Roger H. von Haefen, Joseph Herriges, Christopher Leggett, Frank Lupi, Kenneth McConnell, Michael Welsh, Adam Domanski, Norman Meade. 2018. Estimating the value of lost recreation days from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. J. Env. Economics and Management, Vol. 91, pp.26-45, ISSN 0095-0696, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2018.


R. C. Bishop, K. J. Boyle, R. T. Carson, D. Chapman, W. M. Hanemann, B. Kanninen, R. J. Kopp, J. A. Krosnick, J. List, N. Meade, R. Paterson, S. Presser, V. K. Smith, R. Tourangeau, M. Welsh, J. M. Wooldridge, M. DeBell, C. Donovan, M. Konopka and Nora Scherer. 2017. Putting a Value on Injuries to Natural Assets: The BP Oil Spill. Science, 356 (6335), 253-254. doi: 10.1126/science.aam8124. April 20, 2017.

Oil, Fate, Transport, and Fingerprinting

Driskell, W.B. and J.R. Payne. 2018. Macondo oil in northern Gulf of Mexico waters – Part 2: Dispersant-accelerated PAH Dissolution in the Deepwater Horizon plume. Marine Pollution Bulletin 129(1): 412-419. Link to supplemental information for Part 2 (download Word document).


Forth, Heather P, Mitchelmore, Carys, Morris, Jeffrey M., Lipton, Joshua. March 2016. Characterization of oil and water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 9999, No. 9999, pp. 1–10, 2016


MacDonald, I. R., O. Garcia-Pineda, A. Beet, S. Daneshgar Asl, L. Feng, G. Graettinger, D. French-McCay, J. Holmes, C. Hu, F. Huffer, I. Leifer, F. Muller-Karger, A. Solow, M. Silva, and G. Swayze. 2015. Natural and unnatural oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 120, doi:10.1002/2015JC011062. December 28.


Payne, J.R. and W.B. Driskell. 2018. Macondo oil in northern Gulf of Mexico waters – Part 1: Assessments and forensic methods for Deepwater Horizon offshore water samples. Marine Pollution Bulletin 129(1): 399-411. Link to supplemental information for Part 1 (download Word document).


Stout, S.A. 2016. Oil spill fingerprinting method for oily matrices used in the Deepwater Horizon NRDA. Environmental Forensics, 17(3),218-243 doi:10.1080/15275922.2016.1177759. June 1.


Stout, S. A., German, C. R. 2018. Characterization and flux of marine oil snow settling toward the seafloor in the northern Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon incident: Evidence for input from surface oil and impact on shallow shelf sediments. Mar. Pollut. Bull. Volume 129, Issue 2, April 2018, Pages 695-713.


Stout, S.A., Payne, J.R. 2017. Footprint, Weathering, and Persistence of Synthetic-Base Drilling Mud Olefins in Deep-Sea Sediments following the Deepwater Horizon Disaster. Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.03.013


Stout, S.A. and Payne, J.R. 2016. Chemical composition of floating and sunken in-situ burn residues from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Mar. Pollut. Bull. 108(1-2): 186-202.


Stout, S.A. and Payne, J.R. 2016. Macondo oil in deep-sea sediments: Part 1 – Sub-sea weathering of oil deposited on the seafloor Mar. Pollut. Bull., Published On-line July 25, 2016.


Stout, S.A., Payne, J.R., Ricker, R.W., Baker, G., Lewis, C. 2016. Macondo oil in deep-sea sediments: Part 2 — Distribution and distinction from background and natural oil seeps. Mar. Pollut. Bull., Published On-line Aug. 8, 2016.


Stout, S.A., Payne, J.R., Emsbo-Mattingly, S.D., Gregory Baker 2016. Weathering of field-collected floating and stranded Macondo oils during and shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 105(1): 7-22.


Stout, S.A., Rouhani, S., Liu, B., Oehrig, J., Ricker, R.W., Baker, G. (2016). Assessing the footprint and volume of oil deposited in deep-sea sediments following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin, published online Janaury 15, 2017.


Recreational Use Impacts


Horsch, E., M. Welsh, and J. Price, authors; A. Domanski, N. Meade, J. Murray, technical editors (2017). Best Practices for Collecting Onsite Data to Assess Recreational Use Impacts from an Oil Spill. NOAA Technical Memo NOS OR&R 54, published online April, 2017.


Horsch, E., English, E., Stein, J. (2017). Lessons from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Use of Aerial Recreation Surveys. J Surv Stat Methodol 2017 smx005. doi: 10.1093/jssam/smx005


Tourangeau, R., English, E., Mcconnell, K., Chapman, D., Cervantes, I.F., Eric Horsch, Meade, N., Domanski, A., Welsh M. (2017) The Gulf Recreation Study: Assessing Lost Recreational Trips from the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill. J Surv Stat Methodol 2017 smx010. doi: 10.1093/jssam/smx010


Restoration Scaling


Arthur, Courtney, Scott Friedman, Jennifer Weaver, Dan Van Nostrand, and James Reinhardt. 2020. Estimating the benefits of derelict crab trap removal in the Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. Estuaries and Coasts 43(7): 1821-1835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00812-2.


Baumann, Matthew, Gail F. Fricano, Katie Fedeli, Claire E. Schlemme, Mary C. Christman, and Melissa Vernon Carle. 2018. Recovery of salt marsh invertebrates following habitat restoration: implications for marsh restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico.  Estuaries and Coasts (online first): 1-11.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-018-0469-5.  (Published online  – Theme Section on Quantifying the Benefits of Coastal Habitat Restoration, Carle and Benson eds.)


Baumann, Matthew, Gail F. Fricano, Katie Fedeli, Claire E. Schlemme, Mary C. Christman, and Melissa Vernon Carle. 2018. Recovery of salt marsh invertebrates following habitat restoration: implications for marsh restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts 43(7):1711–1721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-018-0469-5.


Carle, Melissa Vernon, Kristopher Benson, and James F. Reinhardt. 2020. Quantifying the Benefits of Estuarine Habitat Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico: An Introduction to the Theme Section. Estuaries and Coasts 43(7): 1680-1691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00807-z.


Cebrian, Just, Hui Liu, Mary Christman, Terill Hollweg, Deborah French McCay, Richard Balouskus, Conor McManus, Heather Ballestero, Jennifer White, Scott Friedman, and Kristopher Benson. 2020. Standardizing estimates of biomass at recruitment and productivity for fin- and shellfish in coastal habitats. Estuaries and Coasts 43(7): 1764-1802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00691-2.


Dell’Apa, Andrea, Karen Carney, Theresa M. Davenport, and Melissa Vernon Carle. 2018. Potential medium-term impacts of climate change on tuna and billfish in the Gulf of Mexico: A qualitative framework for management and conservation. Marine Environmental Research 141: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.07.017.


Ebbets, Allison L., Diana R. Lane, Philip Dixon, Terill A. Hollweg, Mary T. Huisenga, and Jessica Gurevitch. 2018. Using meta-analysis to develop evidence-based recovery trajectories of vegetation and soils in restored wetlands in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts (online first): . https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00536-y. (Published online  – Theme Section on Quantifying the Benefits of Coastal Habitat Restoration, Carle and Benson eds.)


Ebbets, Allison L., Diana R. Lane, Philip Dixon, Terill A. Hollweg, Mary T. Huisenga, and Jessica Gurevitch. 2020. Using meta-analysis to develop evidence-based recovery trajectories of vegetation and soils in restored wetlands in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts 43(7): 1692–1710. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00536-y.


Fricano Gail F., Matthew S. Baumann, Katie Fedeli, Claire E. Schlemme, Melissa Vernon Carle, and Mel Landry. 2020. Quantification of Coastal Marsh Restoration Benefits in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Modeling the Development of Marsh Ecological Functions. 43(7): 1804–1820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00706-3.


Fricano Gail F., Matthew S. Baumann, Katie Fedeli, Claire E. Schlemme, Melissa Vernon Carle, and Mel Landry. (In review). Quantification of Coastal Marsh Restoration Benefits in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Modeling the Development of Marsh Ecological Functions. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00706-3. (Published online  – Theme Section on Quantifying the Benefits of Coastal Habitat Restoration, Carle and Benson eds.)


Hollweg, Terill A., Mary C. Christman, Just Cebrian, Bryan P. Wallace, Scott L. Friedman, Heather R. Ballestero, Mary T. Huisenga, and Kristopher G. Benson. 2020. Meta-analysis of nekton utilization of coastal habitats in the norther Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 43(7): 1722-1745. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00633-y.


Hollweg, Terill A., Mary C. Christman, Joshua Lipton, Bryan P. Wallace, Mary T. Huisenga, Diana Lane, and Kristopher G. Benson. 2020. Meta-analysis of nekton recovery following marsh restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 43(7): 1746–1763. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00630-1.


Reinhardt, James F., Jennifer Weaver, Pamela J. Latham, Andrea Dell’Apa, Joseph E. Serafy, Joan A. Browder, Mary Christman, Daniel G. Foster, and David R. Blankinship. 2017. Catch rate and at-vessel mortality of circle hooks versus J-hooks in pelagic longline fisheries: A global meta-analysis. Fish and Fisheries 19(3): 413-430. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12260.

Sargassum

Hu, C., R. Hardy, E. Ruder, A. Geggel, L. Feng, S. Powers, F. Hernandez, G. Graettinger, J. Bodnar, and T. McDonald. 2016. Sargassum coverage in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico during 2010 from Landsat and airborne observations: Implications for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact assessment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 107(1), 15-21. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.045. May 8.


Sea Turtles


Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Protected Marine Species. This is a special issue of Endangered Species Research that contains 20 scientific studies by NOAA scientists and partners on the impacts of the 2010 Gulf oil spill on marine mammals and sea turtles. Endangered Species Research. Vol 33, published Jan 31, 2017.


Stacy, N.I., C.J. Innis, and J.A. Hernandez. 2013. Development and evaluation of three mortality prediction indices for cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). Conservation Physiology, 1(1): cot003. doi:10.1093/conphys/cot003. March 4.


Shoreline Species and Habitats


Response of Nearshore Ecosystems to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. This Theme Section of Marine Ecology Progress Series details the effects from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on several critical habitats and trophic levels within nearshore coastal ecosystems. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 576, published Aug. 3, 2017.


Baker, M.C., Steinhoff, M.A., Fricano, G. 2016. Integrated effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Nearshore Ecosystems. Marine Ecology Progress Series doi: 10.3354/meps11920.


Hester, M.W., J.M. Willis, S. Rouhani, M.A. Steinhoff, and M.C. Baker. 2016. Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the salt marsh vegetation of Louisiana. Environmental Pollution, 216:361-370. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.065. June 11.


Kenworthy WJ, Cosentino-Manning N, Handley L, Wild M, Rouhani S (2016)Seagrass response following exposure to Deepwater Horizon oil in the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana (USA). Mar Ecol Prog Series https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11983


Michel, J., Fegley, Stephen R., Dahlin, Jeffrey A., Wood, Chip. 2016. Oil spill response-related injuries on sand beaches: when shoreline treatment extends the impacts beyond the oil.Marine Ecology Progress Series, doi: 10.3354/meps11917. November 29.


Michel, J., Owens, E.H.,  Zengel, S., Graham, A., Nixon, Z., Allard, T., Holton, W., Reimer, D.P.,  Lamarche, A., White, M., Rutherford, N., Childs, C., Mauseth, G., Challenger, G.,  Taylor, E. June 2013. Extent and Degree of Shoreline Oiling: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA.PLoS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065087.


Nixon, Z., S. Zengel, M. Baker, M. Steinhoff, G.F. Fricano, S. Rouhani, and J. Michel. 2016. Shoreline oiling from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.003. April 18.


Pennings, S.C., Zengel, Scott, Oehrig, J, Alber, M, Bishop, T. D., Deis, D. R., Devlin, D., Hughes, A. R., Hutchens Jr., J. J., Kiehn, W.M., McFarlin, C. R., Montague, C. L., Powers, S., Proffitt, C. E., Rutherford, N., Stagg, C. L., Walters, K. 2016. Marine Ecoregion and Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Affect Recruitment and Population Structure of a Salt Marsh Snail. Ecosphere. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1588. Dec 21, 2016.


Rouhani, S, Baker, M. C., Steinhoff, M., Zhang, M., Oehrig, J., Zelo, I., Emsbo-Mattingly, S.D., Nixon, Z.,  Willis, J.M., Hester, M.W. Oct 2016. Nearshore exposure to Deepwater Horizon oil. Marine Ecology Press Series./em> doi: 10.3354/meps11811


Willis, J.M., Hester, M.W., Rouhani, S., Steinhoff, M. A., Baker, M.C. Nov 2016. Field assessment of the impacts of Deepwater Horizon oiling on coastal marsh vegetation of Mississippi and Alabama. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Journal. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3450


Zengel, S., Bernik, B.M., Rutherford, N., Nixon, Z., Michel, J. July 2015. Heavily Oiled Salt Marsh following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Ecological Comparisons of Shoreline Cleanup Treatments and Recovery.PLoS ONE.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132324


Zengel S, Weaver J, Pennings SC, Silliman B, Deis DR, Montague CL, Rutherford N, Nixon Z, Zimmerman AR (2016) Five years of Deepwater Horizon oil spill effects on marsh periwinkles Littoraria irrorata. Mar Ecol Prog Series https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11827


Zengel, S., C.L. Montague, S.C. Pennings, S.P. Powers, M. Steinhoff, G.F. Fricano, C. Schlemme, M. Zhang, J. Oehrig, Z. Nixon, S. Rouhani, and J. Michel. 2015. Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Salt Marsh Periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata). Environmental Science and Technology. doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b04371. December 29.


Zengel, S., S.C. Pennings, B. Silliman, C. Montague, J. Weaver, D.R. Deis, M.O. Krasnec, N. Rutherford, and Z. Nixon. 2016. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impacts on Salt Marsh Fiddler Crabs (Uca spp.). Estuaries and Coasts, 39(4), 1154-1163. doi:10.1007/s12237-016-0072-6. February 3.


Zengel, S, Weaver, J, Pennings, S.C., Silliman, B, Deis, D. R, Montague, C.L., Rutherford, N., Nixon, Z.Zimmerman, A.R 2016. Five years of Deepwater Horizon oil spill effects on marsh periwinkles Littoraria irrorata. Mar Ecol Prog Ser, Advance View, Oct 2016.


Water Column


Last updated Friday, September 29, 2023 9:30am PDT