News Environment

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill ruined long-term shore stability

Satellite images reveal the loss of marsh grass that shores up Louisiana’s coastline

A shoreline in southern Louisiana shows green marsh grass where it meets still water

The shoreline of southern Louisiana (pictured) is characterized by a shifting marsh grass ecosystem.

Eugene Turner

By Joshua Rapp Learn

Long after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the marshy shores of the Gulf of Mexico were still feeling the effects of the disaster. Marsh grass retained plant-smothering oil, and the soil continued to crumble away at a faster rate than before the spill, causing the shoreline to retreat more rapidly than it would otherwise, a new study shows.