Dispatches from the Gulf: Science, Community & Recovery After Deepwater Horizon

Gr 6 Up—This collection of 50 short videos serves as an extension of the documentary Dispatches from the Gulf and provides details about the types of work that many teams of scientists in the Gulf of Mexico are performing to learn more about the consequences of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The experts address the effects of the oil spill on the area habitats, the use of forensic chemistry to understand the long-term adaptations of aquatic life, and the work being done with the fishing industry, tourism agencies, and residents, including the indigenous population. This two-disc program contains different footage, with more information than the previously mentioned documentary, but it serves as a supplement because of the random order of clips as well as the lack of transitions between them, and the repetition was noted in several segments. However, this selection can also serve as a powerful tool to inspire students to consider science as a career, as a dozen individual scientists from all over the world—men and women, young novices and seasoned veterans—are featured. Each discusses the oil spill in more depth, from the types of life found at various depths of the ocean to how oil dispersants work in the water and their residual effect.