The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Maia Wijnberg ’26 and Cathy Zhang ’26
Christine Wu ’25
On April 20th, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, operated by Transocean and leased by BP, was situated above an oil well about 41 miles off of the Louisiana coast. On that day, gas blasted through a concrete core that was installed to seal the well. The core may have been too weak to withstand this pressure because it was made of concrete that used nitrogen for curing. Soon after, the gas escaped from the core and it rose to the surface of the rig’s platform, igniting and killing 11 while also injuring 17. Two days later, Deepwater Horizon sank and ruptured the riser of the rig. .
A permanent cap was installed on the rig by July 12th, 2010. Overall, a panel of scientists commissioned by the U.S. government estimated that 4,900,000 barrels or around 134 million gallons of oil had leaked out while only around 800,000 barrels had been transferred away. A few months later, a bottom kill maneuver, or pumping cement through a channel that intersected the well, was successfully installed. Finally, on September 19th, the well was fully sealed.
Several effects of the spill were almost immediate. The oil formed a slick that covered over 57,500 square miles of the gulf. In May, oil contaminated Louisiana beaches, marshes, and estuaries with delicate plant life. In June, it also reached Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama. Overall, around 1,100 miles of the U.S. coast were contaminated by this spill. Acres of marshland were destroyed and 35 national wildlife refuges were put at risk. Additionally, many animal habitats that were funded by special restoration projects were threatened. Since the spill occurred at the peak of the breeding season for a majority of these animals, it devastated the populations of critical parts of these ecosystems.
One of the species that has been severely impacted by the event is the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, which had been under major threat of extinction. The oil spill killed an estimated 20% of nesting females, which has led to the nesting population still fluctuating now. In the years after the spill, the turtles have still been facing serious health detriments. Another species that has faced severe harm is the Brown Pelicans. Between 10,000 and 19,000 pelicans died as a result of the spill, killing nearly 12% of the population on the northern coast. Since most of the Brown Pelican’s habitats in the Gulf were destroyed, programs have been successful in rebuilding over the last decade.
To this day, our environment is still being harmed by the spill. It is estimated that a million seabirds have died due to exposure, 8.3 billion oysters have been killed, hundreds of fish species have been contaminated, up to 166,000 young sea turtles have died, 5,000 marine mammals have lost their lives, and the rate of lung disease in dolphins has quintupled. 92,500 miles of surface water have been contaminated, along with 1,300 miles of coastline and 3,200 miles of deep ocean floor destroyed. Ultimately, this disaster demonstrates the importance of safety protocols so another catastrophe of this caliber can be avoided.
References
Pallardy, R. (2023, September 21). Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Deepwater-Horizon-oil-spill
Deepwater horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine Mammal Commission. (2023, August 10).
Denchak, Melissa. “How Deep Were the Impacts of the BP Oil Disaster?” The Natural Resources Defense Council, 8 Apr. 2020,
“Home - National Wildlife Federation - Restore the Gulf.” National Wildlife Federation - Restore the Gulf, 2020,
restorethegulf.nwf.org/?_ga=2.7235442.1568151250.1698879554-1352014604.1698879554
Lyder, Jane. “Our Natural Resources at Risk: The Short and Long Term Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill | U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service.” FWS.gov, 10 June 2010 https://www.fws.gov/testimony/our-natural-resources-risk-short-and-long-term-impacts-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill
