Special Report: Oil Spill
The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the April 20, 2010 explosion of an offshore oil rig has put local economies, wildlife and the Gulf'sdelicate coastal ecosystem at risk. This is one of the worst environmental disasters in our nation's history. Many dedicated people are working hard to cap the well, contain the spill and minimize the damage to one of our nation’s crown jewels: the Mississippi Delta.
For a comprehensive overview of what happened, as well as regular updates about ongoing developments, see this article from the Encyclopedia of Earth.
To see where the oil spill is located and track its spread, click here.
For an amazing perspective on the size of the spill - by looking at it as if it were in your own neighborhood - click here and enter your zip code.
About 40 percent of the coastal wetlands in the lower 48 states are found in Louisiana. These millions of acres of wetlands were built over thousands of years by Mississippi River floodwaters that deposited huge amounts of sediment at the river's delta.
Today, these wetlands range from interior forested wetlands to barrier islands on the Gulf of Mexico and a wide array of interconnected habitats, including freshwater, brackish and salt marshes that are home to millions of birds and other wildlife.
Kids Ask the Experts
Cleanup crews are working around the clock to contain a large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill has created an oil slick that is threatening fish and wildlife in the Gulf and surrounding wetlands.Here’s what kids are asking about the spill—and answers from environmental experts.
Helping Wildlife
See how experts and volunteers are helping wildlife survive the oil spill.
What IS a Wetland?
Wetlands are places where there is shallow water or very soggy soil at least part of the year. Plants that grow there love having "wet feet." There are many different kinds of wetlands. And, they’re some of the most important places on Earth.
Why are wetlands so important?
- Without wetlands, thousands of species of animals and plants would become extinct. Without wetlands, floods and pollution would be much worse. But people haven't always understood how important wetlands are. They’ve thought of them as smelly, buggy wastelands. They’ve drained the water from them, making dry land for farms, houses, and shopping malls.
- Today more than half of the wetlands in the "lower 48" states have been destroyed. And some people think it’s OK to destroy even more. But many others know what you’ll soon know: Wetlands arewonderlands that we – and thousands of other species – could never do without.
Wet Bits
Check out these fascinating facts about wetlands.
