14 DAY TRIAL // Experts at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have recently released a new report on the state of the Gulf of Mexico. The document shows that the oil slick generated by the Deepwater Horizon accident is far from reaching Southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the East Coast, given that it's currently many miles away from the Loop Current. This is an underwater marine current that passes south of Florida, and then heads into the Atlantic Ocean.
The new conclusions will only hold true if the cap BP placed on the spill site remains in place. It's possible that the contraption may give away at some point, but authorities will keep a close eye on the situation. NOAA says that the oil slick generated in the 100 days that passed since the April 20 explosion is already beginning to deteriorate, under the action of chemical agents spread by authorities, and that of microbes developing in the waters.
“For southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Eastern Seaboard, the coast remains clear. 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 NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, PhD. She is also the US under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. The federal agency is currently involved in both aerial and satellite-based observations of the Gulf, as well as in monitoring the Loop Current.
In flights carried out over the past seven days, NOAA-operated airplanes could only pick up sporadic signs of oil sheens near the Mississippi Delta. This is good news for the delicate ecosystem that has evolved there, and which has already been drastically affected by the BP oil spill. It is estimated that it will take up to a few months for the oil on the surface of the Gulf to disperse entirely. By that time, the Loop Current will be fully reformed and ready to resume its path to Florida, but it will have nothing to carry with it.