Plumes of Oil Deep in Gulf Are Spreading Far, Tests Find

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Plumes of Oil Deep in Gulf Are Spreading Far, Tests Find

By JUSTIN GILLIS, CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and JOHN BRODER
Published: June 8, 2010

The government confirmed Tuesday that plumes of dispersed oil were spreading far below the ocean surface from the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, raising fresh concerns about the potential impact of the spill on sea life.

Tests conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida found that the concentrations of oil-related chemicals in the water were generally low. Still, the tests confirmed that some toxic compounds that would normally be expected to evaporate from the surface in a shallow-water oil spill were instead spreading through the ocean in the Deepwater Horizon leak.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which helped to fund the research, said it was still working to get a better handle on the potential impact of the spill on fish, corals and other wildlife. Jane Lubchenco, the NOAA administrator, said the agency was doing its best to determine “where the oil is going, and where it is at the surface, and where it might be below the surface, and what the consequences of that oil will be to coastal communities as well as to the health of the gulf.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/us/09spill.html?hp

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. thanks

[mhatrw]

2. K&R

[blindpig]

4. Did I not hear BP totally deny this?

Kill Capitalism

[revolution breeze]

5. And the smell of crude oil

I walk out my door and it is gorgeouse outside. Children are usually playing, riding bikes and scooters in our cul-de-sac, playing on our swingset and in our pool. But it is silent today. My neighbors and I fear what is in the air besides crude oil. Therefore on this beautiful summer day, our children sit inside the house, windows are closed and air conditioning blowing.