OR&R scientists, in collaboration with a broad team of agency and non-agency researchers and resource managers, summarized findings from over 8 years of lab and field based research conducted on vertebrates during and following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The synthesis was initiated during the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and highlights similarities and differences found in the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil on vertebrates including fish, birds, turtles, marine mammals, and includes results from observational studies in humans. 

Across the studies, consistency was found in the types of toxic response observed in the different organisms. Impairment of stress responses and adrenal gland function, cardiotoxicity, immune system dysfunction, disruption of blood cells and their function, effects on locomotion, and oxidative damage were observed across taxa. Findings from this comprehensive analysis will help spill responders and resource assessors better plan for, respond to, and assess the impacts from future oil spills. 

The NOAA Central Library hosted a webinar on these findings as part of a 5 part series on the impacts of oil spills on cetaceans, which can be accessed online. 

For further information, contact Lisa.Dipinto@noaa.gov.