This month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s research ship Okeanos Explorer is roaming the Gulf of Mexico, and its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is livestreaming video that any landlubber can enjoy. So far the expedition’s findings include tubeworms, crustaceans, chiton, brittle stars, urchins, small amphipods, and some corals. The very cool sea-bottom image at left is described by researchers as “chemosynthetic mussels and a few sea urchins residing next to a natural oil seep. Here you can see three active oil streams and several oil droplets caught in mucus of the mussels or a neighboring organism.”

The need to understand the Gulf should resonate this month, because the four-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion was Sunday, April 20. You can read about its legacy of damage to dolphins, tuna, and coastal marshes, as well as safety policies that languish and ongoing drilling plans here and here.

Image courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Gulf of Mexico 2014 Expedition.

Reed McManus is a senior editor at Sierra. He has worked on the magazine since Ronald Reagan’s second term. For inspiration, he turns to cartoonist R. Crumb’s Mr. Natural, who famously noted: “Twas ever thus.”