Off-Topic: Update on Gulf Oil Spill

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	Name:	MartiniMan -
	Subject:	Update on Gulf Oil Spill
	Date:	4/15/2011 1:06:27 PM

Several responses to your posts:

First, the summary was not from a science journal but the studies they refer to come from scientists working for NOAA and the responsible parties. Other than agenda driven psuedo-scientists working for trial lawyers and NGO's trying to make a buck off the spill there is general agreement on this point. There is still some discussion of the oil captured in deeper portions of the Gulf that is being studied and will take some time to sort out. The real question is how effective natural degradation processes are in deeper water with colder temperatures and lack of light.

Second, you asked about long-term effects but you have to define what you mean by that. If you look at the history of the Valdez spill in an area that is not nearly as conducive to natural degradation processes there is reason to be optimistic. But the thing with long-term effects is that you have to be long term in order to study them. We are not there yet but Alaska is at least a reason to be optimistic.

Third, on the tar balls these will be a problem for a while but it sounds like BP will respond as needed. I will reiterate that based on our direct experience the number of active crews were significantly pared back because they had nothing to collect. I suspect there will be more activity early in the season as reports from vacationers dictate the need. But I will also say that I have been going to the gulf for over 30 years and there have always been tar balls. Some from exploration/production releases and some from natural seeps.

My whole point was that I indicated early on when all the purveyors of gloom and doom were prognosticating that the Gulf would never recover that in fact they were wrong......and they were wrong. Will there still be lingering effects? Of course. Should they prevent you from going to the beach, swimming in the water and eating the food? Absolutely not! Other than those activities, how much time do you spend wallowing around in the marshes looking for degraded oil? The marshes look fine, the birds are flying, the fish are swimming. The vast majority (if not all by now) of the chemical toxicity should be gone from the BP spill and it is only a year ago.