Four months after the Deepwater Horizon disaster Alexandra Cousteau visits the Gulf States to find friends, communities and livelihoods burdened and broken by distrust and uncertainty in the aftermath of the the largest oil spill in US waters. In a region whose heart and soul can be found in the marine bounty of the gulf’s rich waters, Cousteau discovers that people are not only losing their jobs, but their way of life. “Ocean of Doubt: Polluted Waters, Broken Communities” puts a human face and stirring voice to that story of incalculable loss.
Alabama is home to the greatest wealth of freshwater and marine biodiversity in North America. As the BP oil spill continues to cast its shadow over the Gulf Coast, scientists keep a vigilant eye on frogs, sharks, and sperm whales–all indicator species and proxies for ecosystem effects caused by the oil spill and its clean-up efforts.
The longest river in the USA and third largest in the world, the Mississippi drains 40 percent of the country, including the majority of its farming heartland. At present, there are no federal laws governing pollution being dumped into the Mississippi River, and last year alone some 817,000 tons of nitrogen made its way into the Gulf of Mexico via the river. These agricultural chemicals have led to the largest ever ‘deadzone’ (an area so starved of oxygen that it cannot sustain life) in the history of the Gulf.
The Mississippi River is one of the largest rivers in the world and drains 40% of the USA. Chemical fertilizers from industrial agriculture and urban runoff are contributing to create one of the largest dead zones in the world in the Gulf of Mexico.
© Blue Legacy International
The longest river in the USA and third largest in the world, the Mississippi drains 40 percent of the country, including the majority of its farming heartland. At present, there are no federal laws governing pollution being dumped into the Mississippi River, and last year alone some 817,000 tons of nitrogen made its way into the Gulf of Mexico via the river. These agricultural chemicals have led to the largest ever ‘deadzone’ (an area so starved of oxygen that it cannot sustain life) in the history of the Gulf.
Farmers and fishermen share one thing in common: the Mississippi River watershed. In this video, the team compares how both impact and are impacted by degradation of the river and its natural systems.
© Blue Legacy International
Alexandra and the team spend their final days on the Mississippi River visiting again with the Cajun people living at the frayed edges of the bayou close to the Gulf of Mexico. Talk to any locals here and you’ll find that their biggest concern is land loss. Louisiana is disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico at the rate of 25 to 35 square miles of land a year, nearly a football field every hour.
© Blue Legacy International
Alexandra Cousteau speaks with Louisiana native Tab Benoit, President of Voice of the Wetalnds. Benoit has watched the wetlands of Louisiana disappear over the years with his own eyes. He believes they can be saved by letting the Mississippi River run its natural course.
© Blue Legacy International
