Oil Plume Is Not Breaking Down Fast, Study Says

[groovedaddy]

New research confirms the existence of a huge plume of dispersed oil deep in the Gulf of Mexico and suggests that it has not broken down rapidly, raising the possibility that it might pose a threat to wildlife for months or even years.

The study, the most ambitious scientific paper to emerge so far from the Deepwater Horizon spill, casts some doubt on recent statements by the federal government that oil in the gulf appears to be dissipating at a brisk clip. However, the lead scientist in the research, Richard Camilli, cautioned that the samples were taken in June and circumstances could have changed in the last two months.

The paper, which is to appear in Friday’s issue of the journal Science, adds to a welter of recent, and to some extent conflicting, scientific claims about the status of the gulf. While scientists generally agree that the risk of additional harm at the surface and near the shore has diminished since the well was capped a month ago, a sharp debate has arisen about the continuing risk from oil in the deep waters.

So far, scientific information about the gulf has emerged largely from government reports and statements issued by scientists. Many additional research papers are in the works, and it could be months before a clear scientific picture emerges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/science/earth/20plume.html?th&emc=th

[hatrack]

1. No one could have forseen this!

:eyes:

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. May I say "Duh!"?

Exxon Valdez was 20 years ago and there is still persistent contamination from that.

The warmer gulf waters will break down the oil faster than the waters of Alaska, but it is the height of folly to think that all that oil would just go away in a matter of weeks.

It will continue to be a problem for at least a decade, and in places where the sludge has settled to the bottom to be covered with sand all it will take is a hurricane passing by to stir it back up again. That means fishing/shrimping grounds that are fine one season may be contaminated the next. It will require constant monitoring for years, and testing of every catch.

This isn't just going away.

[jpak]

3. More media misrepresentation - when will this end?

In the hot (30 degree C) sunny surface of the Gulf of Mexico, the oil has rapidly weathered - evaporation, photo-oxidation and microbial oxidation has removed much of the surface oil. The threat of large quantities of fresh toxic crude reaching Gulf beaches and marshes (black tides) has greatly diminished.

This is what the Federal Science Report concluded.

In the deep dark ocean where water temperatures are closer to 10 degrees C (or less) there is no evaporation or photo-oxidation of oil dispersed in subsurface plumes - and, lower water temperatures reduce the rate at which dispersed oil is oxidized by prokaryotes.

There is no "welter of recent, and to some extent conflicting, scientific claims about the status of the gulf." - government and non-government scientists are in agreement about the status of the Gulf.

It's only the morans in the media that are confused and sensationalized this issue.

yup

[TheWraith]

4. Yeah, but scaring people makes for better headlines and more newspaper sales. nt