Ölverschmutzung
Oil spills have also been shown to negatively influence the identities and self-perceptions of the locals affected by the event. This phenomenon was explored in a 2012 study, in which Mississippi locals described their losses in the wake of the accident as cultural as well as economic. For many locals fishing was seen as a part of their way of life, regardless of the individual’s main occupation. The damages to fishing in the local areas following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill therefore meant that many locals felt a loss in identity and culture. Because of this, the oil spill presented a sociocultural vulnerability for the locals, alongside the economic losses.