USGS Sediment Sampling 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.

In this photo, a sediment core is collected at at Henderson Beach State Park, Florida, by a USGS scientist from the Florida Science Center. Analyses of the sediment will be used to identify chemical and biological changes that may have been caused by the arrival of crude oil product from the failure of the Deepwater Horizon well.