USGS Sampling Site at Henderson Beach State Park

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists collected environmental data and samples in coastal areas affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Samples of water, sediments, benthic invertebrates, and microorganisms were collected by the USGS at beach, barrier island, and wetland environments of the Gulf of Mexico coastal states before and after petroleum-associated product arrived on shore.

Orange flagging delineates the Exclusion Zone from which samples of sediment for chemical and biological analyses will be collected at Henderson Beach State Park in Florida. In the background, USGS scientists are completing a survey of Gulf of Mexico physical and chemical properties, using multiparameter instrumentation.