Oil plumes lying below the surface
Source: Agencies |
June 9, 2010, Wednesday
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OIL from the BP spill is slathering some areas in a tarry mess while leaving others in the southeastern United States unscathed, and officials confirmed yesterday that plumes are also lurking in the deep even as a device collects more crude gushing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
Tests have confirmed underwater plumes dozens of kilometers from the broken wellhead off Louisiana that has been gushing oil since late April, the government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco said in Washington.
A University of South Florida research vessel confirmed oil as far as 1,000 meters below the surface 70 kilometers northeast of the site and 230 kilometers southeast, Lubchenco said at a briefing, joined by Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who's monitoring the spill response for the government.
The containment cap on the stricken BP wellhead is helping to limit the leak, collecting more than 2.3 million liters of oil on Monday, Allen said. Authorities had said that around 1.7 million liters were collected on Sunday.
It's unclear, though, how much oil is still escaping, and underwater video feeds continue to show a dark geyser. BP announced plans recently to swap the current cap with a bigger one next month that can capture more oil.
Food chain fear
"I have never said this is going well," Allen said yesterday. "We're throwing everything at it that we've got. I've said time and time again that nothing good happens when oil is on the water."
The presence of underwater plumes carries implications for deep-sea life because tiny microbes eat up that oil and consume oxygen, choking off the supply to other organisms. The impact could cascade up the food chain, cutting off the food supply of larger predators.
Officials said initial cleanup could take months and that the spill's effects could linger for years. And as the oil patches dance unpredictably from coastline to coastline, residents who depend on tourism and fishing are wondering how to head off the damage or salvage a season that's nearing its peak.
At the Salty Dog Surf Shop in Panama City Beach, Florida, near the eastern end of the spill area, manager Glen Thaxton hawked T-shirts, flip-flops and sunglasses with usual briskness on Monday, even as officials there warned oil could appear on the sand within 72 hours.
"It could come to a screeching halt real quick," Thaxton said. "So we've been calling vendors and telling them don't ship anything else until further notice."
Allen said yesterday he will meet with BP to assess how well it is handling claims for relief from people hurt by the spill.
Tests have confirmed underwater plumes dozens of kilometers from the broken wellhead off Louisiana that has been gushing oil since late April, the government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco said in Washington.
A University of South Florida research vessel confirmed oil as far as 1,000 meters below the surface 70 kilometers northeast of the site and 230 kilometers southeast, Lubchenco said at a briefing, joined by Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who's monitoring the spill response for the government.
The containment cap on the stricken BP wellhead is helping to limit the leak, collecting more than 2.3 million liters of oil on Monday, Allen said. Authorities had said that around 1.7 million liters were collected on Sunday.
It's unclear, though, how much oil is still escaping, and underwater video feeds continue to show a dark geyser. BP announced plans recently to swap the current cap with a bigger one next month that can capture more oil.
Food chain fear
"I have never said this is going well," Allen said yesterday. "We're throwing everything at it that we've got. I've said time and time again that nothing good happens when oil is on the water."
The presence of underwater plumes carries implications for deep-sea life because tiny microbes eat up that oil and consume oxygen, choking off the supply to other organisms. The impact could cascade up the food chain, cutting off the food supply of larger predators.
Officials said initial cleanup could take months and that the spill's effects could linger for years. And as the oil patches dance unpredictably from coastline to coastline, residents who depend on tourism and fishing are wondering how to head off the damage or salvage a season that's nearing its peak.
At the Salty Dog Surf Shop in Panama City Beach, Florida, near the eastern end of the spill area, manager Glen Thaxton hawked T-shirts, flip-flops and sunglasses with usual briskness on Monday, even as officials there warned oil could appear on the sand within 72 hours.
"It could come to a screeching halt real quick," Thaxton said. "So we've been calling vendors and telling them don't ship anything else until further notice."
Allen said yesterday he will meet with BP to assess how well it is handling claims for relief from people hurt by the spill.
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