It’s Exactly This That Concerns Me

Eleven days ago, a major study was published online in the journal Science documenting the existence of a large, deep underwater plume of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill. And while BP and federal officials tout that much of the oil has “disappeared” (thanks, Janet Lubchenco), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute study shows that the oil is breaking down slowly in the cold ocean waters a half mile down, where it poses a danger to the small fish and organisms that make nightly vertical migrations from the depths to the surface. At this point it cannot be known what the long-term effects of the submerged oil will be; “as much as 42 million gallons of oil may be lurking below the surface in amounts that are much smaller than the width of a human hair” (AP).

You can read the AP article on the study at NPR.

At OnEarth magazine, David Gessner ponders the effects of the spill on the millions of migratory birds that cross the Gulf twice annually (thanks to the Alabama Coastal Foundation for that link).

If you want to balance this with a more uplifting thought, read Bill Finch’s post from June 21st on The Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science blog about Building the Ark of Recovery.