Shifting Tides

Humanity’s impact on oceanic creatures, what scientists are doing to correct past mistakes

Written by William Schmidt, staff reporter

North America is home to some of the most diverse individuals as well as a variety of plants and animals.

But what if that were to all change in a split second?

According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “combined local and global pressures will push 90 percent of coral reefs to threatened status (all nonblue colors) in less than 20 years (by 2030) and nearly all reefs will be threatened by 2050.”

“On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people,” according to the NOAA. “Before it was capped three months later, approximately 134 million gallons of oil had spilled into the ocean.”

Oils and other toxic substances have long-lasting effects on marine animals, such as reducing the effectiveness of the insulated process of blubber, creating a loss of buoyancy and coating an animal’s fur or feathers. That does not even cover the bleached corals and standard water pollution, the inhalation of which can make an animal get sick and die.

So what is being done to prevent another oil spill from happening?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published “Tab 10: Inland Oil Spill Programs,” as part of a 23-page document titled “Justification of Appropriation Estimates for the Committee of Appropriations,” in April 2022, which is designed to enforce inspections and take preventative action against oil spills.

While preventing oil spills is a stepping stone, what about areas that were affected by oil spills already?

On top of costing billions of dollars for cleanup, volunteers also would go out and clean the animals with special soap, ensuring the oil would not end their lives early.

But, even if there are not any oil spills, that does not mean that these sea creatures can survive on their own.

As early as 2002, Key West, Fla. retired the USS Spiegel Grove, intentionally sunk in waters in order to create an artificial reef. The skeleton of the ship rusted away, leaving coral and plant life growing on the ship. Eventually, this sunken ship turned into a thriving paradise for the sea creatures. Artificial reefs provided

But is it too little too late?

“The bleaching of branching coral is hastened by rising ocean temperatures,” according to globalseafood.org. “An international team of environmental scientists warn that the world’s coral reefs are likely to disappear by 2050 without climate action.”

There is a lot that individuals can do to help the environment; simple things such as throwing away trash and recycling papers, plastics and glass. One can also just make sure to clean up after themselves, especially on the beach or while visiting National Parks.

But NOAA’s estimate is merely a prediction. If humans take action now, the reefs, sea creatures and oceans could be saved.