As it turns out, over three-quarters of the oil has not suddenly disappeared from the BP oil spill disaster. Last Friday a government scientist conceded that even by their own numbers, more oil remains in the Gulf than was stated in the last NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) report.
The NOAA report, released last month, was criticized by many for the broad conclusion that only 25% of the oil spill remained. The report was not accompanied by much data, and rested on many assumptions. For instance, the report assumed that oil that had been dispersed underwater simply went disappeared.
In fact, a report by a University of Georgia team found that approximately 70-79% of the oil remains in the environment in some form. Another team of scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts has found another giant underwater plume measuring 2 miles long and 600 feet wide. Finally, even one of the scientists behind the report conceded that more oil is left than was released in their first report. Rather than giving another figure, the scientists stated that the NOAA is waiting to gather more data before releasing another report (perhaps a wise move after the first debacle).
The estimates are important, as they will likely determine how much the Gulf Coast is compensated for the spill, and how quickly fishing areas will open in the Gulf of Mexico.
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