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Note: We will be continually updating this page as more information is made available.
The USGS continues to mobilize equipment and personnel to gather scientific data and information on the environmental impacts of the oil spill to affected coastal habitats.
USGS scientists will be:
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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is responding to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by establishing baseline conditions in water chemistry, bottom sediments, and aquatic invertebrates prior to landfall of the oil spill. Over the past several weeks teams of scientists have been collecting samples in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida at over 60 locations unaffected as yet by the oil spill. These locations include barrier islands and coastal wetlands. These areas are critical to fish and wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico and could suffer severe environmental damage if oil from this spill comes ashore.
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In the past 30 years, there has been considerable research on the impacts of oil on birds and their habitats. In particular, the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has undertaken a wide range of experimental studies on the effects of oil on birds. Much of that information is relevant to the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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The video relates how a team of scientists conducted rapid response sampling of coastal environments before any oil had reached land, following up in October 2010 with post-landfall sampling for comparison. USGS hydrologist Dennis Demcheck describes details of the work and explains the importance and value of having pre-landfall data for assessing impacts of the oil spill. Full transcript, additional formats, and details available in the Multimedia Gallery. |