Pollution

Eastern newts are small amphibians that live in or near lakes, ponds, and streams in the eastern United States. Like most amphibians, they go through changes during metamorphosis. First, as tadpoles, they live in water and use gills to breathe. Then, they turn orange-red, lose their gills, grow lungs, and move onto land as they become juveniles. Eventually, they become adults and go back to water, but they don't regrow gills.

Adult eastern newts breathe air with their lungs, even though they live in water. They can breathe by taking air from the surface or absorbing oxygen through their skin! Yes, eastern newts, like many amphibians, can breathe through their skin. But they can also absorb chemicals and toxins from the water, making it tough for them to live in polluted or unhealthy environments.

Eastern newts are special because they are indicator species. Indicator species are like signs that tell us about an ecosystem's health. If eastern newts are around, the ecosystem is probably healthy. If not, there's a chance the ecosystem may not be healthy.

Eastern newts face threats like losing their homes and pollution. Scientists use their presence or absence to figure out which ecosystems need protection!

Turning on our lights and TVs require energy. This energy is often created by burning fossil fuels, including oil.

Oil is found trapped beneath Earth’s surface, even beneath the ocean floor. To collect the oil, we drill down into the Earth and suction it out. In the ocean, floating platforms hold drills that can reach the ocean floor more than 10,000 ft below. In 2010, one of these oil platforms experienced a disaster – an explosion that caused more than 200 million gallons of oil to spill into the ocean. 

The BP Oil Spill (also known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill) is the largest oil spill in history. Nearly 6 months passed before they were able to stop oil from spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spread far and wide damaging beaches, coastal wetlands, and nearly every type of ocean habitat for hundreds of miles. 

The oil threatened thousands of species of fish, mammals, crustaceans, seabirds, and more. The thick, gooey oil coated birds’ feathers, making it impossible for them to fly. The chemicals in the oil made the water toxic and removed important oxygen. 

To clean up the oil spill, scientists used skimmers to collect oil, substances to absorb oil, and chemicals to help the oil break down. Thousands of animals were collected and treated and some even found permanent homes at zoos and aquariums. 

Today, scientists still find pollution from the oil spill along the Gulf coast. To make sure oil spills like this don’t happen again, new laws and regulations were put in place. The best way to avoid polluting nature while creating energy is to use renewable energy, like solar and wind power!