Deepwater Horizon: Florida, East Coast off oil watch list
South Florida, the Keys, and the East Coast are not likely to see any effects of oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP spill that remains on the Gulf of Mexico, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Offshore staff
HOUSTON – South Florida, the Keys, and the East Coast are not likely to see any effects of oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP spill that remains on the Gulf of Mexico, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The NOAA study presumes the containment cap remains effective and finds the oil continues to degrade several hundred miles away from the loop current.
“With the flow stopped and the loop current a considerable distance away, the light sheen remaining on the Gulf’s surface will continue to biodegrade and disperse, but will not travel far,” says Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA administrator.
The loop current has dissipated, she says, and by the time it reforms, any remaining oil will have degraded.
07/30/2010
