Oil Spill: Measuring the Aquatic Effect

ON BOARD THE ARCTIC SUNRISE: I’ve always wanted to write that. I’m currently off the Dry Tortugas south of the Florida Keys, on board a Greenpeace ship. I’m here with a pair of marine biologists from Nova University who have hitched aboard the Arctic Sunrise to do a quick research study on sea sponges in the Tortugas. It’s part of a Greenpeace effort to provide some independent science on the underwater effects of the oil spill. The Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas were lucky—currents for the most part kept the oil away from this area, one of the most valued aquatic environments in the U.S. But it’s still worth taking a close look to see how sponges—which can be a bellwether species, since they filter water to strain food—are doing post spill. I’ll be blogging from the ship—which is an icebreaker, though the only ice around here is in a margarita—whenever I can, though I’ll be at the mercy of the satellite Internet gods…