It seems the only certainty amidst the Gulf of Mexico environmental disaster is that nothing is certain. From the amount of oil continually pouring from the seafloor to British Petroleum's use of chemical dispersants, this crisis has been anything but straightforward. As evasive, and at times downright misleading, as BP has been, the environmental impacts of this disaster are far from allusive. Just take a look at the photos on the Public Broadcasting Service's News Hour site to get a sense of urgency surrounding this crisis.
The answers are likely not going to be found on BP's press site. Since the accident, many in the scientific and environmental communities have been working on efforts to provide assistance to assessment, mitigation, rescue and restoration efforts. Scientific societies, environmental organizations, government agencies and institutions alike have been connecting to develop as many reliable resources as possible to assist scientists and natural resource managers in the region. Here is a sampling of these efforts. Read more and comment at http://www.esa.org/esablog/ecology-in-policy/gulf-disaster-looking-for-answers-in-science/.
