Happy Nirvana

Photo via News One Less dramatic than the fiery explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the multiple month-spanning underwater oil geyser that followed it are many of the BP Gulf spill’s side effects. And oil-related sicknesses are undoubtedly among the thorniest — many fishermen-turned cleanup workers have already been afflicted by close contact [...]

Photo via NOLA The recent discovery of trace amounts of oil in blue crab larvae has left experts forecasting dire news for the Gulf ecosystem. It’s evidence that the oil from the spill loosed from the Deepwater Horizon explosion has already begun working its way up the food chain — where it could be fatal [...]

Photo via avlxyz @ Flickr Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April, everyone from chef Tom Colicchio to President Barack Obama has come out to promise that Gulf Coast seafood is as safe and delicious as it ever was — and to remind the rest of us that boycotting it won’t help the regional [...]

Credit: VisitFlorida.com By now you’ve probably seen the ads: Come to Florida/Another Gulf Coast state, our beaches are still beautiful (despite the worst oil spill in U.S. history). It’s a sign that the states are losing visitors, and tourism dollars. A new (.pdf) analysis by… Read the full story on TreeHugger Credits to:TreeHugger

The BP Gulf spill (or whatever we decide to call it) has already done plenty of damage to wildlife, the local economy, and people’s livelihoods. Images of oiled birds and turtles, crude-covered marshlands, and shuttered businesses are now sadly commonplace. But what about that which we can’t see so clearly? After all, people are still [...]

A dust storm over the Persian Gulf. Image via NASA Earth Observatory On land, a fierce dust storm blots out any sign of life. But offshore, these banes of desert-dwellers’ existence can be providers of life in what might otherwise be empty waters, according to an Arab biologist who believes he’s solved the mystery of [...]

The newly-described Halieutichthys intermedius batfish. Image credit: Ho, Chakrabarty & Sparks Though the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most intensely studied marine environments on the planet, there is still room for discovery. Scientists have managed to discover and describe three new species of fish—all of which live in areas partially or completely covered [...]

Image credit: Philippe Cousteau My sister Alexandra’s flight was delayed last night so she didn’t get in until after midnight. We were all sorry she couldn’t join us for dinner and a toast to my grandfather for what would have been his 100 birthday. Despite the late night we got moving around 8:30 for the [...]