Much ink: That underwater hydrocarbon plume is still there
WHOI scientists who tracked the oil cloud with data from an autonomous underwater vehicle that criss-crossed the gulf. (WHOI image)
Things in the Gulf of Mexico may not be cleaning themselves up quite as fast as some had claimed and many had hoped. The New York Times‘s Justin Gillis, who broke the story of the vast plume of underwater oil droplets some weeks ago, reports now that it’s still there, not breaking down fast and flowing southwestward four miles a day. The cloud of thinly dispersed hydrocarbons is some 22 miles long, a mile wide and 600 feet thick. It lies about 3,600 feet below the surface. Earlier this month a team organized by NOAA claimed that nearly all the spilled oil was largely taken care of. Gillis, writing with John Collins Rudolf, says the latest assessment “sharply challenged” the government’s claims.
Janet Raloff, of Science News, ledes with new analyses finding that huge oil plumes “continue to roam deep within the Gulf of Mexico and appear disturbingly stable.”
Dan Charles at NPR says scientists are still trying to figure out where half the spilled oil has gone. Click on Charles’s name for a text story and a link to the audio version.
Beth Daly at the Boston Globe has the story from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in her back yard, which did much of the research.
Seth Borenstein of the AP calls the new finding the first conclusive evidence of the plume’s existence.
-Boyce Rensberger
August 20th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
It’s worth noting that last night’s PBS News Hour, anchored by Jim Lehrer, carried a substantial interview with a scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Since the News Hour has always covered science sparsely, its item last night is an indication of the wattage of this story.
The coverage of the deep plume, which calls into question the official version of how much oil was leaked and how much remains, is a powerful illustration of how science reporting can add a crucial element to a multi-faceted story of maximum social and political importance. Science really is the driver of our times, and it’s good to see reminders that journalistic coverage of science can draw blood in the center ring.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Well put, Victor, as usual. Thanks for noting the News Hour coverage.
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Its interesting how reporting the downplay of the oil spill has dramatically calmed the public. You know what they say about the opium of the masses.“continue to roam deep within the Gulf of Mexico and appear disturbingly stable.” I had to laugh