Oceanography | Vol.34, No.1 174 HUMAN HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, hundreds of miles of foating barriers, known as boom, were anchored in place to prevent oil from stranding on the shore and to reduce impacts to sensitive areas such as marshes and bird nesting grounds, as well as areas valued for human use like this fshing spot north of Dauphin Island, Alabama. Photo credit: US Navy Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Joe Kane, Fleet Combat Camera Group Pacifc (Released) By Paul A. Sandifer, Alesia Ferguson, Melissa L. Finucane, Melissa Partyka, Helena M. Solo-Gabriele, Ann Hayward Walker, Kateryna Wowk, Rex Cafey, and David Yoskowitz Oceanography | Vol.34, No.1 174 SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE GULF OF MEXICO RESEARCH INITIATIVE: TEN YEARS OF OIL SPILL AND ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE