The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured deep-sea habitats over a large area. These complex ecosystems include corals, fish, anemones, sponges, and sea cucumbers—but our knowledge about these habitats is limited, creating challenges for their restoration.
The Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities restoration projects, which aim to restore deep sea habitats injured by the spill, focus on:
- Mapping and predictive habitat modeling
- Coral propagation
- Habitat assessment
- Active management and protection
Since 2021, NOAA and federal, academic, and aquarium collaborators have embarked on expeditions to implement these restoration projects across the northern Gulf of America (formerly the Gulf of Mexico). The data gathered and restoration during these expeditions will support some of the Gulf’s most inaccessible yet important habitats.
Now, you can see this work firsthand: Explore the StoryMap “Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Expeditions” to learn more.
It will be updated as each field season concludes–stay tuned!
Explore the StoryMap “Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Expeditions” to learn more about this innovative work.
