“How much oil is still gushing? No one knows exactly how much oil is escaping BP's oil collection system (series of pipes drawing oil from leak to surface ships) and entering Gulf waters. Government estimates peg the leak at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels per day, which translates to between 1.5 million and 2.5 million gallons. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s nearshore trajectory predictions for the spill show it hovering off the Gulf Coast as far west as the Rockefeller State Wildlife Preserve and Game Refuge in the western part of Louisiana. The oil slick stretches as far east as Port St. Joe in northwestern Florida. NOAA is no longer forecasting the movement of oil out at sea, but the slick is not currently expected to enter the Loop Current, which could draw it around the Florida Peninsula and into the greater Atlantic. However, giant plumes of oil and gas are still present thousands of feet below the surface of the Gulf. The plumes are made of a mixture of oil, gas and seawater. They've been spotted radiating out from the blown well in all directions, University of Georgia marine scientist Samantha Joye said at a June 22 media briefing. The southwest plume has been traced over 20 miles from the well, while another plume extends more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) to the Northeast. The plumes are rich in methane gas, which is an energy source for some undersea microbes. These microbes seem to be noshing on the methane and multiplying, depleting the oxygen in the water column. In the long run, Joye said, that oxygen deprivation could affect the Gulf ecosystem by harming populations of plankton, the base of the oceanic food chain. (READ THAT LAST SENTENCE AGAIN!) How many animals have been affected by the spill? Gulf wildlife is still facing fallout from the oil spill. According to NOAA, 583 sea turtles were stranded in the oil spill area between April 30 and June 28. Of those, 432 were found dead and four died after being rescued. A total of 136 turtles are currently in rehabilitation centers, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is coordinating an effort to remove up to 70,000 turtle eggs from at-risk beaches. [Animals affected by oil spill] In the same April-to-June time period, 55 dolphins were found stranded in the oil spill area. Only two survived. While cause of death has not been determined, dolphin strandings are up this year, according to NOAA. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA numbers, 1,185 visibly oiled birds had been pulled from Gulf waters and beaches as of June 29. More than 300 of those were found dead, as were another 829 without external evidence of oil. ” More at link! http://www.livescience.com/environment/gulf-oil-spill-update-100702.html added by: DeliaTheArtist
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