A Dirty Blizzard In the Gulf of Mexico

An underwater blizzard of oil, marine microbes, "sea snot", and algae.
(Arne Diercks, University of Southern Mississippi National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology)

The “Dirty Blizzard of 2010” wasn’t a Nor’Easter. Instead, it was a blizzard of oil, marine microbes, "sea snot" produced by stressed-out microbes, and algae that stuck together after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and fell to the deep sea. It sounds gross—especially the "sea snot" part—but it nonetheless is a brand new discovery made by GoMRI researchers about what happens to oil after an ocean spill.

Tags: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Oil spills