oil spills

  • An oil worker in bright yellow protective gear and green gloves is covered in oil.

    New tech is 10x better at cleaning up oil spills

    New technology could significantly improve oil spill cleanup capabilities compared with current methods.

  • A starfish is covered in black oil

    Decaying Red Sea tanker is an oil spill time bomb

    "The time is now to prevent a potential devastation to the region's waters and the livelihoods and health of millions of people..."

  • Boats spray water on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform

    What can we learn from 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

    Ten years ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico became the largest of all time. A new review look backs for lessons we can learn today.

  • deepwater horizon fire

    Geology drove decisions that led to Deepwater Horizon explosion

    "The bottom line is that geological conditions led to a decision to use a specialized cement that failed. This... was a root cause of the ultimate blowout."

  • head of lettuce on concrete

    Hot way to clean polluted soil passes lettuce test

    "We saw an opportunity to convert a liability, contaminated soil, into a commodity, fertile soil."

  • drain and plug

    Ocean ‘bathtub drains’ pull flotsam together

    “It is much like the spinning vortex that forms in a bathtub: Water sinks in a small region, but water from much larger region moves toward the vortex...”

  • girl on swing

    ‘Competence’ gets kids past traumas like hurricanes

    Children's sense of competence underlies their resilience and risk of PTSD symptoms after traumas like hurricanes and oil spills, research shows.

  • blue crab on sand

    Food web shows winners and losers 7 years after Deepwater

    A food web reveals how animals weathered the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Killifish came out on top, but other creatures—like blue crabs—need attention.

  • Oleo Sponge

    Watch: We could clean up oil spills with this reusable sponge

    A new foam, called Oleo Sponge, easily absorbs oil from water—even oil below the surface. And, it's reusable. Here's how it could cleanup big oil spills.

  • school of tuna

    This crude oil ingredient hurts tuna hearts

    A substance in crude oil can damage the hearts of fish exposed to spills. Because it's abundant in air pollution, it may pose a threat to people, too.