Why were Louisiana marshes and estuaries difficult to clean after the Deepwater Horizon spill?

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Fireboats battle a blaze on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, April 2010. — Deepwater Horizon oil spill Fireboat response crews attempt to extinguish the blaze aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, April 21, 2010.

The Louisiana marshes and estuaries were particularly difficult to clean following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill because their topography was intricately knit together by delicate plant life.1

Cleanup efforts in these sensitive environments were further complicated by the risk of causing more damage to the ecosystem than the oil itself. Additionally, logistical challenges arose in tidal zones, where mats of submerged oil and organic matter accumulated in areas that were physically difficult to reach. While manual removal was employed on beaches, the fragile nature of the marsh vegetation meant that standard cleanup techniques could not be applied without potentially inflicting greater harm on the habitat.21