NEWS AND NOTES
Blue Water Sailing
May 20, 2010
Cuba at Risk from Gulf Oil Spill
Since its discovery of oil and natural gas reserves in the Florida straits, Cuba's preparations for full-scale offshore oil and gas development has raised alarm among some in the United States, particularly in Florida where it is estimated that much of a catastrophic spill originating in Cuba would be swept by Gulf currents. Ironically, it is now Cuba that faces the threat of a massive oil spill by the United States. The disastrous oil spill from the BP Deepwater Horizon now threatens Cuba, the largest and most biologically diverse island in the Caribbean, due to those same Gulf currents. To make matters worse, the economic embargo imposed upon Cuba by the United States decades ago makes collaboration and coordination exceedingly difficult during this crisis.
Current composite image of BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill,
Gulf of Mexico current patterns. U.S. coastline appears in white at
top of image. Western Cuba appears in white at bottom of image.
Oil spill appears in gray/brown. Last location of BP Deepwater
Horizon Platform is depicted by an "X" (Courtesy of Roffer's
Offshore Fishing Forecasting Service)
For the past decade we have been working with our colleagues at the University of Havana's Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, CIM) to conduct research and conservation projects in Cuba's coastal areas. Since 2002, our work has focused in Cuba's Gulf of Mexico waters where CIM has been conducting the first-ever comprehensive studies of this little-known area. What we are learning is that this region is incredibly rich with healthy corals, fish and serves as critical habitat for imperiled species such as sea turtles, manatees and sharks.
The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from the BP Deepwater Horizon presents a potentially grave and unprecedented threat to Cuba's marine life and coastal areas. Not only would this be devastating to Cuba's marine life, but given the biological connections present in the Gulf of Mexico, such an impact could affect a myriad of species, including fish, sea turtles, dolphins, manatees, sharks, corals inhabiting the waters of the U.S., Mexico and beyond. Currents carry fish larvae from Cuba into U.S. waters, making protection of Cuba's coastal ecosystems vital to the health of U.S. fish populations. The primary risk to Cuba comes from the trajectory of the "Loop Current," a prominent but very variable feature of the Gulf of Mexico. Should the oil become swept up by the swift Loop Current, it could end up in Cuban waters within a matter of days, impacting coastal areas still recovering from the impacts of 2008 hurricanes, Gustav and Ike.
A special page on the 1planet1ocean site has been setup for the purpose of sharing detailed information, including technical reports and satellite imagery and interpretation:
Help Protect Cuba's Ecosystems from the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Donate to the Ocean Foundation:
https://oceanfdn.org/index.php?ht=d/MakeDonation/donationtype/2790
Watch the Video:
Cuba's Unexplored Mysteries of the Gulf Researchers from Cuba and the United States are collaborating on the first-ever comprehensive exploration and research of Cuba's Gulf of Mexico waters, lying along its northwestern coast. Proyecto Costa Noroccidental (Project of the Northwestern Coast) is a collaboration of the University of Havana's Centro de Investigaciones Marinas (Center for Marine Research), The Ocean Foundation, 1planet1ocean, and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies.
