Scientists Find Thick Layer Of Oil On Seafloor

[Generic Other]

Scientists on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico are finding a substantial layer of oily sediment stretching for dozens of miles in all directions. Their discovery suggests that a lot of oil from the Deepwater Horizon didn't simply evaporate or dissipate into the water -- it has settled to the seafloor.

The Research Vessel Oceanus sailed on Aug. 21 on a mission to figure out what happened to the more than 4 million barrels of oil that gushed into the water. Onboard, Samantha Joye, a professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia, says she suddenly has a pretty good idea about where a lot of it ended up. It's showing up in samples of the seafloor, between the well site and the coast.

<snip>

Joye describes seeing layers of oily material -- in some places more than 2 inches thick -- covering the bottom of the seafloor.

<snip>

"The organisms that break down oil excrete mucus -- copious amounts of mucus," Joye says. "So it's kind of like a slime highway from the surface to the bottom. Because eventually the slime gets heavy and it sinks." That sticky material can pick up oil particles as it sinks.

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[L0oniX]

1. Do ya really need a scientist to tell you what would be the obvious?

Apparently it's not obvious to some in the government.

[Lucian]

2. I could've told everyone that weeks ago.

Millions of barrels of oil just don't disappear. It has to go somewhere.

[krispos42]

8. Where's the Bermuda Triangle when you need it???

Let the space aliens figure out what to do with it!

[spanone]

3. what? i thought it all just disappeared?

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :sarcasm:

[krispos42]

4. Tasha Yar recoils in horror. n/t

[tabatha]

5. Greenpeace has an expedition there as well

they have found tar in the sands

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenpeaceusa09/sets/72157624572207069/with/4972245351/

[Swamp Rat]

6. The oil is completely gone and seafood is now safe to eat.

It's a miracle!!!

[golddigger]

7. Shocking!

[Angry Dragon]

9. And people are surprised??

When you use huge amounts of dispersant you are going to get suspended drops of oil and it has to go to somewhere.
To the beach, sea floor, or to the surface.

There is going to be 2-3 generations that have to deal with the aftermath of this Ecocide.
Health issues from the oil and dispersant.
Loss of sea life and loss of breeding of that sea life.
Very, very, very slow economic recovery on top of what the rest of the country is going through.
The vultures are accessing their options and the best way to rape the people of the Gulf.
BP will not be there to pick up the pieces.

[Generic Other]

12. I'm not surprised

Just contradicting the lies we continue to hear spouted by BP and the government.

[Angry Dragon]

13. But one hears very little about the Gulf in the news today

News has gone on to Quran burning, Mosque building or non building, 9-11 remembrance, and then on to the election.

[Generic Other]

16. Very true

I had to really dig to find any recent info. And my friends who live in the Gulf area also report that their local media gives no information.

The story has dropped off the radar for several weeks now.

Out of sight out of mind!

[Desertrose]

21. Out of sight out of mind...the American way of life.

It's not even a blip on the radar anymore.....

[blindpig]

14. Yep, something like that.

And the motherfuckers are gonna walk....just like Bush and his gang.

[valerief]

10. So I guess renaming the gulf the Gulf of Snot is appropriate. nt

[CrispyQ]

11. So they can no longer lie about this.

"...in some places more than 2 inches thick..." :wow:

[maryf]

15. K&Rnt

[Generic Other]

17. Government didn't consider oil might end up on sea floor?????

According to the report Hollander said, “The government’s original attempt to figure out what happened to the oil toted up how much washed ashore, how much evaporated and how much might have stayed under the waves. But it didn’t consider that oil could also end up on the sea floor.”

“So now the bottom really is turning out to be an important sink for the oil,” he noted

And how close to shore is this sunken oil? “Joye’s findings so far have found oil in depths ranging from 300 to 4,000 feet.”


http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/alert-scientists-find-thick-layer-of-oil-on-seafloor-for-dozens-of-miles-in-all-directions-water-as-shallow-as-300-feet-photo

[Obamanaut]

18. Harvest it. nt

[KittyWampus]

20. or at very least develop a way to scoop it off the bottom of the seabed. From her interview

it didn't sound like it was one solid layer. It was thick here, thin there and non-existant there.

[KittyWampus]

19. I heard her interview. It's not determined to be oil. It may be either/or in addition to excreted

slime by micro organisms that eat the oil. And then also oil or oil that's interacted with the dispersant. I forgot how she described it's appearance in some places. But it wasn't just like tarballs or plain black oil slicks.

It was really interesting.

I think in the next week they're supposed to get samples closer to the where the well was.

[Generic Other]

25. You just described the BP executives--"excreted slime microorganisms"

Test some samples form the corporate headquarters. Bet they match what's on the seabed.

[me b zola]

22. Did you hear that BP?

We have found your oil that you polluted our waters with. Now we just need to figure out exactly how much is down there waiting to be cleaned up, but in the mean time this raises the amount that you will be fined. Put that in your pipe and smoke it MoFos.

[SpiralHawk]

23. D'oh

expected...inevitable...

[Hawkowl]

24. Rendition of BP executives anyone?

Can we send the Delta Force to apprehend these criminals and have them interrogated in Syria, or Hungary or at least Guantanamo?

[texpatriot2004]

26. So, can the clean it off the floor somehow? Is it possible? nt

[earth mom]

27. Tell that to the faithful who believe ALL the lies BP & the government have dished out.

The rest of us have known the truth since day 1. :grr:

BTW-Thanks for posting this! NEVER GIVE UP!

[glowing]

28. Guess we found the oil.. of course many have been saying this all before now

guess we just needed scientific proof for people to realize the obvious.