Scientists investigating the effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill on shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico have found that the oil spill significantly altered the microbial communities around nearby shipwrecks.
The laboratory studies also found that oil exposure increases metal corrosion caused by microbes, showing that the oil spill could potentially speed up degradation of the steel-hulled shipwrecks, according to Jennifer Salerno, a microbial ecologist at George Mason University.
Read more about the research.
