Gulf Oil Disaster Update: Up to 80% of the Crude May Still Be Lurking in the Water
Remember earlier this month when the government said it thought only a quarter of the oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster was still in the water? Think again. Two new studies conclude things are still quite dire in the Gulf, estimating not only that 79 percent of the 4.1 million barrels of oil spilled are still lurking below the surface, but that oil has also settled to the seafloor in critical fish spawning grounds at above toxic levels. A University of Georgia analysis of the estimates made by the government earlier this month came to very different conclusions. Those estimates were largely misinterpreted, the researchers said, and the idea that three-quarters of the oil from the spill has already disappeared is absurd. Related ArticlesBP Announces No Oil Flowing Into GulfAfter 106 Days, 'Static Kill' Appears to Have Stopped the Gulf Oil LeakBP Turns to Robotic Subs for Help Sealing Oil...