Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, hundreds of miles of floating barriers, known as boom, were anchored in place to prevent oil from stranding on the shore and to reduce impacts to sensitive areas such as marshes and bird nesting grounds, as well as areas valued for human use like this fishing spot north of Dauphin Island, Alabama. Photo credit: US Navy Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Joe Kane, Fleet Combat Camera Group Pacific (Released) By Paul A. Sandifer, Alesia Ferguson, Melissa L. Finucane, Melissa Partyka,