Have We Forgotten?

The Gulf. We all watched the events which were occurring during the oil "spill" just a few months ago, and since then most of us have moved along, assuming that it was over. It isn't over by a long shot. Many of the links contained in this article are found at the bottom of this post.

The Oil BP Tried to Hide Has Been Discovered, In Thick Layers On the Sea Floor

BP and the government famously declared that most of the oil had disappeared.

But as I've noted, as much as 98% of the oil is still in the ocean.

I have repeatedly pointed out that BP and the government applied massive amounts of dispersant to the Gulf Oil Spill in an effort to sink and hide the oil. Many others said the same thing.

Indeed, as the Wall Street Journal noted on December 9th:

A university scientist and the federal government say they have found persuasive evidence that oil from the massive Gulf of Mexico spill is settling on the ocean floor.

The new findings, from scientists at the University of South Florida and from a broad government effort, mark the latest indication that environmental damage from the blowout of a BP PLC well could be significant where it's hardest to find: deep under the Gulf's surface.

There's more; much more.

Scientists who have been on research cruises in the Gulf in recent days report finding layers of residue up to several centimeters thick from what they suspect is BP oil.

The material appears in spots across several thousand square miles of seafloor, they said. In many of those spots, they said, worms and other marine life that crawl along the sediment appear dead, though many organisms that can swim appear healthy.

Scientific teams have reported in recent months finding a strange substance on the Gulf floor, in some cases as far as about 80 miles from BP's ill-fated Macondo well, which blew out in April and spilled an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf before it was capped.

What about the long-term consequences?

* The use of dispersants prevented clean up of the oil by skimming, by far the easiest method of removing oil from the water

* Dispersants make the toxins in crude oil more bioavailable to sealife, and scientists have found that applying Corexit to Gulf crude oil releases many times more toxic chemicals into the water column than would be released with crude alone (and see this)

* Dispersant might have caused some of the chemicals in oil to become airborne (and see this and this)

* The crude oil which does not become aerosolized sinks under the surface of the ocean, and can delay the recovery of the ecosystem by years or even decades (see the Wall Street Journal article quoted above)

* The overwhelming majority of studies find that dispersants slow the growth of oil-eating microbes

* Dispersants cause Gulf fish to absorb more toxins and then make it harder for the fish to get rid of the pollutants once exposed

* Dispersants may bioaccumulate in seafood

* Blood tests show elevated levels of toxic hydrocarbons in Gulf residents

And we see this in closing:

As I noted in May - shortly after the spill started - the responses of the government to the Gulf Oil spill and to the financial crisis are remarkably similar, as both have focused on covering up the problems, instead of actually fixing them. Because the financial system was never really reformed, the next financial shock will send the economy reeling. Because the oil was never properly cleaned up, the next hurricane will stir up immense quantities of oil now lying on the sea floor.

And we see this article from the Wall Street Journal:

Strong Evidence Emerges of BP Oil on Seafloor

A university scientist and the federal government say they have found persuasive evidence that oil from the massive Gulf of Mexico spill is settling on the ocean floor.

The new findings, from scientists at the University of South Florida and from a broad government effort, mark the latest indication that environmental damage from the blowout of a BP PLC well could be significant where it's hardest to find: deep under the Gulf's surface.

The amount of oil that has settled in the sediment—and the extent of damage it has caused—remains unclear. But scientists who have been on research cruises in the Gulf in recent days report finding layers of residue up to several centimeters thick from what they suspect is BP oil.

How the death of organisms in the sediment might affect the broader Gulf ecology is something scientists are studying.

The test results also raise questions about the possible downsides of the government's use of chemical dispersants to fight the spill.

Additional Links of Interest:

"Like a brown poisonous tide"

"No sign of life in the water"

"Acres of 1" thick black mats cover beach"

"Scientists find 'lots of oil and dead animals on the sea floor'"

"Snapper caught near Pensacola, FL 'contaminated with nearly 3,000 PPM of total petroleum hydrocarbons'"

"New Orleans toxicologist warns about seafood"

"Chemist finds 'increasing levels' of oil pollutants"

"Gulf Oil Refuses to Stay Hidden Underwater"

"The Government is Dealing with the Oil Spill Like the Soviets Dealt with Chernobyl"

And on and on it goes. The point in posting this is several-fold:

- The "spill" and its ramifications aren't over by a long stretch.

- No one knows what the consequences are of having this amount of oil on the seafloor. Will future hurricanes stir this oil up and create more oil on the shores and dispersion into the air?

- If we do have a hurricane scenario (or not) will this oil enter the Gulf Stream, and in turn affect the UK and Europe's weather?
- Is this happening now?

- What are the long-term consequences on sea life in the Gulf?

- What are the long-term consequences on human life and health along the coastal regions?

There are many unanswered questions. But one aspect that is certain: the oil currently residing on the ocean floor in the Gulf is unprecedented and the truth is - no one has any idea what the long term consequences will be.