Deepwater Horizon damaged deep-sea corals in 2010; NOAA is now restoring them 16 years later

Representative Image (AI-generated) Sixteen years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured extensive coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are developing new ways to help these fragile ecosystems recover. According to NOAA Fisheries, a recent restoration mission combined laboratory-reared corals, specialised technical diving and newly designed equipment to return corals to the deep seafloor.A damaged deep-sea habitatThe Deepwater Horizon disaster began in April 2010 when the offshore drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting oil spill injured ecosystems, including mesophotic and deep benthic habitats that receive little or no sunlight.Mesophotic habitats occupy the middle-light zone of the ocean and contain coral communities that provide important structure for fish and other marine organisms. Because these environments are far below the surface, studying their condition and restoring them is considerably more difficult than working in shallow coral reefs. According to NOAA Fisheries, the restoration effort is focused on rebuilding these foundational habitats injured by the spill.Growing corals in laboratoriesOne of the key advances has been learnin...