title: Phytoplankton and the Macondo oil spill: A comparison of the 2010 phytoplankton assemblage to baseline conditions on the Louisiana shelf.
abstract: The Macondo oil spill was likely the largest oil spill to ever occur in United States territorial waters. We report herein our findings comparing the available baseline phytoplankton data from coastal waters west of the Mississippi River, and samples collected monthly from the same sampling stations, during and after the oil spill (May-October, 2010). Our results indicate that overall, the phytoplankton abundance was 85% lower in 2010 versus the baseline, and that the species composition of the phytoplankton community moved towards diatoms and cyanobacteria and away from ciliates and phytoflagellates. The results of this study reaffirm the view that phytoplankton responses will vary by the seasonal timing of the oil spill and the specific composition of the spilled oil. The trophic impacts of the purported lower abundance of phytoplankton in 2010 coupled with the observed assemblage shift remain unknown.
authors.affiliation: Coastal Watershed Institute, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd South, Fort Myers, FL 33965, United States. Electronic address: mparsons@fgcu.edu.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.affiliation: Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin, LA 70344, United States.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.affiliation: Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin, LA 70344, United States.
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Rabalais
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Coastal Watershed Institute, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd South, Fort Myers, FL 33965, United States.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Tyre
mesh_terms: D000458:Cyanobacteria; D017377:Diatoms; D008145:Louisiana; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D010839:Phytoplankton; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Deepwater Horizon; Gulf of Mexico; Phytoplankton; Protozoans