In this Case Assignment you will learn about the ecosystems that make up the regions impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Using resources from the NOAA and your own independent research, write a 4- to 6-page paper that summarizes the characteristics of each ecosystem including organisms commonly found there, potential threats based on their relative location to the spill, and the economic impact of damages in these communities.

Begin your research using diagrams in the report, Natural Resource Damage Assessment for the Deepwater BP Oil Spillpresented in a B-WET Workshop on April 1, 2011, and the status updatesprovided in April 2012 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This and other resources are available on the NOAA website: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov

In your report,

For the following ecosystems:

Marine Wetlands

Shoreline and Beaches

Nearshore benthos

Photic zone

Deep benthos

Include:

An introduction of the characteristics of the ecosytem community

The level of the threat posed by the oil spill

The affected species

The type of surveys conducted to gather the data

The economic and environmental cost associated with the damage

For a summary, view the PowerPoint presentation: Deepwater Oil Spill

Assignment Expectations

This paper should be approximately 4-6 pages long and reflect the information contained in the resources provided above. When

summarizing the information you read from the NOAA website, or any resources you use, be sure to synthesize the information into

your own words, and cite the references. Please use complete sentences and write your paper in essay format using subheadings to organize the required topics.