What happened during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

holding a sea turtle in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Senior Scientist Lisa DiPinto from NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration remembers what it was like to witness the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Click on the image above to watch a video of her first-hand experience of the spill’s aftermath.

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What are oil spills and where do they come from? - Where do oil spills come from? What have been the largest oil spills in U.S. history? - What happened during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? - The largest oil spills in the U.S. What happens during an oil spill? How do we track oil spills? How do oil spills impact wildlife? - How do responders clean oiled wildlife? How do oil spills impact people? Who responds to oil spills? - How do responders remove oil from the water or shorelines? How do we recover after an oil spill? What can we do about oil spills?

What is marine debris? Where does marine debris come from? - What is land-based debris? - What is ocean-based debris? - What is disaster debris? How long does marine debris stay in the environment? What are microplastics? - What are the impacts of microplastics? What are garbage patches? What are the impacts of marine debris? What can we do about marine debris? - How else can we prevent marine debris?

What are harmful algal blooms? - What are red tides? - What causes nutrient pollution? What are the impacts of harmful algal blooms? What can we do about harmful algal blooms?

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Last updated:

01/15/25

Author: NOAA

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Deepwater Horizon: A First Hand Account of the Spill

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Last updated:

01/15/25