Bob Serata’s Archive

Pensacola Beach sample showing oil below clean surface.

Uncovering the Secret in the Sand – Buried Oil Remains After Cleanup

Many of the oil-fouled beaches along the Gulf coast and barrier islands have been scoured, scraped, raked and filtered clean. Tourist beaches and beaches in front of high-rise condominiums along the … Read more

Protecting our “Blue Heart”: Talking with Sylvia Earle about Whale Sharks, Sargassum, Oil and Oceans

Movie and TV stars don’t do it for us. But when my wife Belinda and I met Dr. Sylvia Earle as she came ashore from a dive boat, walking the … Read more

Entire Habitats Wiped Out by Oil, Dispersant and Fires

Hyperbole? If you’re visualizing an entire ocean, marshland, bay or miles-long beachfront destroyed, perhaps. But if you consider pelagic sargassum, that yellowish-brown seaweed that forms up into floating mats, clumps … Read more

Are Red Crabs the Latest Victims of the Gulf Oil Disaster?

Life under 3,000 feet of sea water is tough enough. More than 1,300 pounds per square inch of pressure squeeze you. Water temperatures of 41°-45° F keep you freshly chilled. … Read more

Giant Ships Invade Mississippi Gulf Coast Island

There’s an industrial-strength landing site at the west end of Horn. Large crew boats, tugs and barges are anchored in the shallows next to channels between the islands that provide deep water access. Read more

Gulf Oil Spill Symposium Scientists Build Research Framework to Guide Gulf Restoration

NOTE: this is the third post from the Gulf Oil Spill Symposium. Also see Symposium Looks to Alert Policy Makers to Impacts from Gulf Oil Disaster and Work Groups Begin … Read more

Gulf Oil Spill Symposium: Work Groups Begin Design of Early Warning System for Gulf Wildlife and Habitats

NOTE: this is the second post from the Gulf Oil Spill Symposium. Also see part I, Symposium Looks to Alert Policy Makers to Impacts from Gulf Oil Disaster One glaring … Read more

Symposium Looks to Alert Policy Makers to Impacts from Gulf Oil Disaster

The old rock tune goes something like “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” That’s also a common problem in nature, especially after a traumatic blow to an … Read more

Six Months After the Gulf Oil Disaster: Some Like to Remember, Some Like to Forget

“It’s a little bit like a hurricane,” said my wife, Belinda. “You get all worried and prepare for it to hit, then the hurricane doesn’t come and you’re relieved and … Read more

Corals Won’t Survive A Shallow-Water Oil Spill Treated With Dispersants

A  shallow-water oil spill, even one that doesn’t reach the magnitude of the Gulf oil disaster, could kill miles of coral reefs. And it won’t be the oil alone that … Read more

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