BP Oil Spill Research

In February 2010, before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, unusual mortality rates of dolphins started to be recorded and researched; a fact BP uses to deny any causation of increased mortality due to the oil spill. They argue that other factors play roles in dolphin death, including exposure to fresh water, cooler climates, red tide, and diseases such as Morbillivirus and Brucella. Because of these other potential causes is it hard to say if the increase in deaths is from the oil spill, but one group of scientists decided to look into the what the cause may be.

The unusual mortality event triggered a popular study done by a team of NOAA scientists led by Lori Schwacke (PhD specializing in marine animal health) to look into the potential link