Site Options
Deepwater Horizon photo gallery by Gary Braasch
GALLERY: Deepwater Horizon photo gallery by Gary Braasch
-
oceanOILfinal.jpg
01GulfOilDeepwaterOilStreamsBraasch.jpg
Oil from the sea floor gusher and leaking from ships streams west from the site of doomed Deepwater Horizon drill rig, called "The Source," by air traffic controllers.
02GulfOilSourceQ4000BurningRigDetail10Braasch.jpg
Oil from the sea floor gusher being burned off by the Q4000 rig at the site of doomed Deepwater Horizon drill rig. Streams of water from support ships keep the heat from affecting the structure. After the rig exploded and killed 11 workers on April 20, the flow of crude oil reaching the surface covered a total of more than 68,000 sq miles of ocean at various times during the 3 months, and spewed 4.9 million barrels of crude oil. About 5% of the total oil was burned off.
03GulfOilGulfShoresCrudeonBeachBraasch.jpg
Crude oil in the surf leaves scalloped marks for miles along Gulf Shores beach in Alabama, July 3, 2010. Hotel bookings were said to be off by half or more.
04GulfOilCrudeOilOnGulfShoresALBeachBraasch.jpg
Oil and tar in a pool of water on Gulf Shores, AL beach cooks in blazing sun, creating a bubbling chemical soup. July 2, 2010
05GulfOilGulfShoresOilOnBeach9Braasch.jpg
Oil coming ashore at Gulf Shores, AL as tar, mousse, and oily foam, confronting Fourth of July weekend tourists.
06GulfOiloilonwaterBraasch.jpg
After the rig exploded and killed 11 workers on April 20, the flow of crude oil reaching the surface covered a total of more than 68,000 sq miles of ocean at various times during the 3 months, and spewed 4.9 million barrels of crude oil. (oil extent estimate from SkyTruth, John Amos). Oil here seen from 500 feet above is red rather than black because it is believed treated with dispersant, a controversial and possibly deadly compound used extensively both on the surface and at the well leak underwater.
07GulfOilHeavyOilOnGulfShores9Braasch.jpg
Thick crude fills a depression on the Gulf Shores beach, as some of the thousands of contracted clean up workers scrape at it with shovels. Weeks later this heavy mess was gone but millions of tar balls remained to be cleaned up.
08GulfOilSiftingOilBallsGulfShoresAL3Braasch.jpg
Gulf Shores AL, August 13: In early July, Gulf Shores beach was soaked with crude oil. By mid August, even though it looks much cleaner, huge amounts of oil lurk on the sand as brown tarballs, dotting the beach for miles. The invigorating smell of the sea is also gone -- replaced by a vaguely chemical, garage odor.
09GulfOilGrandIsleBeachBoomDamage7Braasch.jpg
"Tiger Dam" water-inflated boom across 7 miles of Grand Isle beach is broken after storms from Hurricane Alex. Some oil collects in pools on the beach and along the outside of boom.
10GulfOilGulfShoresKidsShovelOilBraasch.jpg
Kid's beach shovel and large tar patch, Gulf Shores AL.
11BPGulfOilBeachClosedSignGrandIsle11Braasch.jpg
In contrast to the beaches which remained open for water access along Alabama and Mississippi, the entire 7 miles of Grand Isle LA beach was closed to the public. Portions begain opening only in August. Response authorities declared the heavily oiled beach a "hot zone."
12GulfOilSeaTurtleRescueLaDWLF2Braasch.jpg
Sagassum seaweed, heavily impacted by waste plastic, and oil. Sargassum seaweed is an important habitat for the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle.
13BPGulfOilPlasticInSargassumx6Braasch.jpg
Montage of plastic trash found in sargassum seaweed in the near-shore Gulf off the Delta, a very valuable habitat for young sea turtles, sea birds, small fish and the larvae of many creatures from crab to marlin and tuna. Many of the more than 500 oiled sea turtles were found in sargassum which had also trapped crude oil and sheen.
14GulfOilGraveyardProtestGrandIsle6Braassch.jpg
Grand Isle resident's response, a mock graveyard of the Delta's products and gifts.
15GulfOilGulfShoresALAugVSJulyBraasch.jpg
Gulf Shores AL: On July 3, Gulf Shores beach was soaked with crude oil and foam, and hundreds of workers were employed day and night to scoop, rake, soak up and shovel the gooey mess (inset). Now, it looks much cleaner, but huge amounts of oil lurk on the sand as brown tarballs, and was also scalloping the shore in brown foam.
16GulfOilHammondLABirdRehabPelicanBraasch.jpg
Oiled brown pelicans being washed at Hammond Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Tri-state Bird Rescue and Research and International Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (an NGO), after exposure to oil from the BP Gulf Oil spill. Numbers of birds found oiled has not decreased much over the 100 days of the spill, and about 20 are brought in daily to this rescue center, which handles birds from Louisiana (mainly). As of Aug 9, 5571 birds have been brought in from the oiled area, and only 1869 were alive and treated, rehabbed or release from centers like this one.
17GulfOilHammondLABirdRehabPelican6Braasch.jpg
Oiled brown pelican being washed at Hammond Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. 8180 birds have been brought in from the oiled area, and only 2076 were found alive and survived.
18GulfOilSeaTurtleRescueLaDWLF24Braasch.jpg
2-3 year old juvenile Kemp's Ridley turtle. Netting, inspection and recording of Kemp's ridley sea turtles from sargassum about 30 miles SW of Mississippi Delta by Louisiana State Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries staff: Boat driver/captain (Sr. Agent for wildiife enforcement) holding turtle is Thomas Wolf; biologist Mandy Tumlin. Also on boat Toby Meyers, also an enforcement officer, not in many photos.
19GulfOilTurtleEggRemovalGulfShores11Braasch.jpg
Alabama turtle watch leader, self described "Turtle Czar" Mike Reynolds (top r) watches as Joe Taylor gently lifts each of the 120 eggs of a loggerhead sea turtle nest in Gulf Shores AL beach, being moved in a USFWS program to excavate and relocate sea turtle nests along the Gulf to keep the hatchlings from swimming into oil-polluted water. More than 200 nests of an estimated 700 along the Gulf were escavated and eggs allowed to hatch at an environmental center near Kennedy Space Center, on the Atlantic shore of Florida.
20KempsRidleyPlayaRanchoNuevo18Braasch.jpg
Marco Antonio Castro Martinez, supervisor of the hatching from corrals, hatchling incubation and patrolling of the beaches. More than 800 nests relocated after being laid by females up to June 3. Staff gathers hatching turtles from about 80 nests and released more than 3000 hatchlings on July 17.
21KempsRidleyPlayaRanchoNuevo7Braasch.jpg
Incubated hatchlings being released, watched over by Lizbet Gongora Berlin of CONANP the Mexican National nature protection agency. Kemp's Ridley sea turtle main nesting ground and hatching area, Playa Rancho Nuevo, a Mexican national reserve, where Dr. Gloria Tavera and staff, plus staff from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville TX and students protect and manage eggs laid; Hatchlings from protected relocated nests and incubators let loose on beach in early morning.
22KempsRidleyPlayaRanchoNuevo59Braasch.jpg
Some of about 3000 hatchlings making way into surf at dawn from the south corral, natural hatching this day from Kemp's Ridley sea turtle main nesting ground and hatching area, Playa Rancho Nuevo, Sanctuary.
23KempsRidleyDawnRanchoNuevo60Braasch.jpg
Some of about 3000 hatchlings making way into surf at dawn from the south corral, natural hatching this day from Kemp's Ridley sea turtle main nesting ground and hatching area, Playa Rancho Nuevo, Sanctuary.
24KempsRidleyPlayaRanchoNuevo66Braasch.jpg
Some of about 3000 hatchlings making way into surf at dawn from the south corral, natural hatching this day from Kemp's Ridley sea turtle main nesting ground and hatching area, Playa Rancho Nuevo, Sanctuary.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The gallery of images are under an Attribution Share Alike Non-Commercial license.
About the Photographer: Gary Braasch
Gary Braasch is reknowned photojournalist who creates images and essays about nature, environment, biodiversity and global warming. He is an experienced and internationally published assignment photographer. Time, LIFE, Discover, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Scientific American and the United Nations have published his images. He received the Ansel Adams Award from the Sierra Club and the Outstanding Nature Photographer citation from the North American Nature Photography Association. His book Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World, was lauded by Al Gore as "essential reading for every citizen." An exhibit of giant prints and educational images, "Climate Change in Our World," premiered at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington DC, in November 2009.
Gary Braasch's keystone project since 2000 is World View of Global Warming, a dedicated photo documentation of the effects of rapid climate change. Gary has travelled extensively to China, Australia, Tuvalu, Antarctica, the Arctic and the great mountains of the world to document climate science and the effects of climate change.
Please visit the following websites to see more by Gary Braasch:
- Gary Braasch Environmental Photography
- Earth Under Fire
- World View of Global Warming
- International League of Conservation
- GHG Photos
EDITOR'S NOTE: The gallery of images are under an Attribution Share Alike Non-Commercial license.
| Topics: |  Hazards & Disasters |
1 Comment
Add CommentJohn Alter wrote:
Amazing Photography