This article looks at the how well the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem was able to recover after the 1970 Ixtoc oil rig explosion in the Gulf. The author uses that information to explain what we can expect from the even larger spill caused by BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

The Gulf of Mexico’s capacity to recover from previous environmental assaults — especially the 1979 Ixtoc explosion — provides encouragement about the prospects for its post-Deepwater future. But scientists remain worried about the BP spill's long-term effects on the health of the Gulf and its sea life.

by John McQuaid

The 1979 Ixtoc oil rig spill which was the largest spill in the Gulf of Mexico until 2010 when the BP spill occurred


The BP Deepwater Horizon rig after it exploded leading to the largest oil spill ever in the Gulf of Mexico