Major study proves oil plume that's not going away

WASHINGTON – A 22-mile-long invisible mist of oil is meandering far below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, where it will probably loiter for months or more, scientists reported Thursday in the first conclusive evidence of an underwater plume from the BP spill. The most worrisome part is the slow pace at which the oil is breaking down in the cold, 40-degree water, making it a long-lasting but unseen threat to vulnerable marine life, experts said. Earlier this month, top federal officials declared the oil in the spill was mostly "gone," and it is gone in the sense you can't see it. But the chemical ingredients of the oil persist more than a half-mile beneath the surface, researchers found.

More lies from the Government and BP. The oil is all gone... I was born at night, but not last night.

What's worse is, according to the article, because of the depth and temperature of the water where the oil is, it is breaking up much slower than it would at the surface. All I can say is watch out for sea food this fall and winter.

news.yahoo.com...

[edit on 19-8-2010 by finemanm]

I almost fell off reading this quote

"While federal officials prefer to describe the lurking oil as "an ephemeral cloud," the Woods Hole scientists use the word "plume" repeatedly.

news.yahoo.com...

An "ephemeral cloud"...Who dreams this crap up? Who calls a toxic emulsion of hydrocarbons and sea water an "ephemeral cloud"?
I wonder if this will get as many hits as the ATS debunker who has seen the light(crude), since it will have much more lasting effect than one ATS guy going where the oil is, seeing the oil and reporting he saw the oil.
I am always amazed at what a herd animal mankind is for the most part.
I wish I could speak cow. Just to see if they explain how everything is peachy, nothing to see here to each other as they walk to the slaughterhouse?
As I have asked all who claim no big deal, the gulf is Xty quadrillion gallons, and have not yet been graced with an answer, is, which drop in the bucket is the one that is too much?
I guess I should add do "ephemeral clouds" even count?
...me logs off feeling pretty sad about the state of humanity as we crap in our nest with more diligence than any other creature.

S&F to the OP I would hope you would get more than the guys site seeing trip of epiphany, but in the circus of media and anti-media if your not in the ring your not a star despite the importance of the message.
N.

reply to post by finemanm


It's important that people understand this is not a pure, thick, tarry oil plume. It's a area in the gulf that contains elements from the oil in various states of decay:

“The plume is not pure oil,” Camilli said. “But there are oil compounds in there.”

It's true that these elements might be toxic. If they do turn out to be toxic, it isn't known if they are present in sufficent concentrations to cause any actual, acute harm:

Whether the plume’s existence poses a significant threat to the Gulf ecosystem and sea life is not yet clear, the researchers say.

“We don’t know how toxic it is,” said Christopher Reddy, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) marine geochemist and oil spill expert and one of the authors of the study.

There is no 'smoking gun' of a cover-up, nor do the researchers characterize thier findings as counter to NOAA's earlier report which basically said 75% of the actual oil slick has been broken up/eaten up by mother nature:

Yet despite the seeming contrast between the government report and their new findings, Reddy refused to describe this new evidence as a contradiction.

"I can't tell you how much oil is in the plume," he noted, so it doesn't contradict the government's report that only 26% of the leak remains. And the picture will change as more chemical analysis is done, Reddy pointed out

Lastly, the data set is nearly two months old. The Gulf is a living, changing environment. It's not dormant. What the picture (forgive the expression) of the plume looks like now, on August 20th, might have very little to with what it looked like in June:

The team's observations were made during a June 19-28 scientific cruise aboard the National Science Foundation owned ship Endeavor. It was halted by the onset of hurricane Alex. Since measurements ended nearly two months ago, the scientists admit they are unsure what has happened to the plume.

Originally posted by SlightlyAbovePar
reply to post by finemanm

 

It's important that people understand this is not a pure, thick, tarry oil plume. It's a area in the gulf that contains elements from the oil in various states of decay:

“The plume is not pure oil,” Camilli said. “But there are oil compounds in there.”

It's true that these elements might be toxic. If they do turn out to be toxic, it isn't known if they are present in sufficent concentrations to cause any actual, acute harm:

Yeah, both Texas U, Alabama U, Florida U have a cadre of scientists & evidence to say there is a gigantic plume at the GOM bottom, chilled to some 40 degrees.


now this particular plume is not the tar oil that is associated with the well gusher...
we only have to add the knowledge that BP 'injected' the dispersant into the gusher === which altered the oils' consistancy & BTW made it more dangerous...

so any disassociation with the plume by BP & the complicit President Øbama regime----is just propaganda!
first the $20bn 'escrow' account to lessen the administration blame component
Then BP screening payouts to only those within a very constricted radius...
all others need not apply--- this is the corrupt way to mitigate their (BP'
s) damages & responsibility to the immediate well-head & screwed up casing>strata>seafloor>loop current intrusion & modification


~string 'em all up i say~

To help visualize what is happening take a cup of old motor oil and add roof tar, paint thinner and some gasoline, blend well
now take a teaspoon of the mix and add 1/4 tsp Dawn detergent+ 10%Isopropyl alcohol and acetone. mix well.
Now take a dropper and release one drop into a fish tank and watch, oh, turn off the pumps so the water is nearly still.
this is a not to scale approximation of Corexit and crude. watch the drop and how it behaves then how long it takes to screw up the whole aquarium.
But first just take a drop of the oil/tar/gas crap and do the same notice how the oil remains separate from the water. I assure you it will not affect the result of the "dispersed oil" test.
In a ten gallon aquarium one drop of the nasty oil/tar will not harm a fish in it.
one drop of emulsified oil should pretty well clear the tank within a day
N.

reply to post by N.of norml


The correct scale is a 24 oz beer spilled into the new Cowboy's stadium filled to the top with sea water. This scale works if you consider just the gulf waters.

[edit on 22-8-2010 by SlightlyAbovePar]

reply to post by finemanm


Here in UK any news or an update of any description on the GOM BP oil spill has disappeared completly from mainstream press so it must be supposed that everthing is fine and dandy now and out of the public mind.

As far as I'm concerned the public have not, and are not being informed about the far reaching poisonous legacy of the oil or maybe be even more, the chemical dispersent used.

We are not being told about this plume at all. Perhaps the powers that be do not want us to know how badly they have screwed up and how ineffective there clean-up is with regards to nature and the enviroment.

I just hope the plight of the fishermen and gulf inhabitants is not swept under the carpet.Not just financial compensation but maybe more importantly, the ongoing health effect of the people and their offspring for generations to come

Going by the present situation 21yrs after the Excon Valdis accoding to a BBC article the oil residue that is just out of sight under the pebbles, sand and seaweed vastly exceeds control levels but is now being ignored- job done ?. The herring have not returned to Prince William Sound and the fishermen and inhabitants have been well stiched-up, ripped-off and forgotten.

This situation must not be allowed to repeat itself in the Gulf of Mexico. The guilty corporations and even the government who sanctioned who allowed others who have done so much damage off the hook.

Hello Everyone,
This is an open letter to people affected by the tragedy in the gulf. In a broader sense all of us humans on earth are affected by what has happened in the Gulf of Mexico. Our world is being destroyed and we seem powerless to stop this madness. I was born many years ago in south-east Texas and I have lived around the gulf most of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of the beautiful beaches of the gulf coast. My heart aches for all of the pain this madness has caused people and the death of millions of helpless animals.

As much as I would love to, I don't have a solution to this insanity we are now living through. In fact, I don't expect that we will ever get back to the way of life we used to have before this tragedy occurred. All I know is that people all over the world are experiencing similar life changing events right now because of war, drought, floods and other disasters. I understand that it does not lessen the pain you and your family are suffering, but please try to see in your heart that all of the people of this world are connected. We are all One. All good people really want is to live in peace, raise their families and enjoy life. That doesn't seem like much to ask. However, there are a small few that are so blinded by greed, fear and evil that they are willing to do anything for money and power. This will continue even to the point of them destroying themselves and us in their insatiable desire for always more. This is the worse type of insanity. These people are truly lost souls.

If you are still reading this, I would humbly submit to you the following facts for you to consider:

1) The people we are talking about here are true sociopaths and care nothing for anyone but themselves. They honestly don't understand or care about our suffering. They see this as a struggle for their own survival, true or imagined.

2) No amount of pressure or protesting will change these types of peoples minds. They only change when they are forced to and will then use all their power to circumvent anything they are forced to do.

3) They are supported by people in government that think exactly as they do. These insane people would not have made it to their current positions of power without "selling their souls" to other powerful people long ago.

4) Fighting these people with force will fail because they have all the power. In fact, they would welcome it. It would give them the opportunity for open conflict instead of political manoeuvring. They have well armed and trained armies at their disposal. This would just give them another reason for a military takeover.

4) Good people in other parts of the U.S. and the world are sympathetic to your pain, but are too afraid of losing what little they have to help the people of the Gulf region fight these criminals. Plus they feel they are powerless to stop these madmen. They are wrong, but that is their belief.

5) These people have a much larger agenda. Their desire for money and power is insatiable. They are willing to destroy their own country for world domination. Small people like us are considered to be expendable and no more than slaves to them.

So, why am I writing you this letter? Because I can't stand to see people suffering and children crying. My heart breaks for all of the suffering people in the world. I am just a simple, poor, old man that has no power to overthrow these tyrants, except with may heart. I can't make BP or the government do what is right or to help people rebuild their lives. So what can I offer you that can help? Please listen carefully when I humbly suggest that the answer to this suffering is internal (spiritual), not external (worldly). I am not a member of any church, cult or any other group. I am not asking for anything from you, I am just a man suggesting an idea for you to consider that I hope will help you find peace within all of this madness. I can only say that the answer is within each of you, as difficult as that is to believe right now. I have struggled with this understanding my whole life. I'm not talking about a religion or a group, but a personal, private journey. You don't need to give any money, go anywhere, buy anything, or find anyone. All you need to help you find true peace in this world you already have! Once you find inner peace you will become a brilliant beacon of light and will be able to help others around you find peace also. You will begin to realise that all of the craziness happening in the world is just an illusion or better stated a nightmare. It means nothing. Fear is our worst enemy. I am not trivialising the pain people are experiencing, it is VERY real. I am saying that we have the ability to see past these physical trials once you understand our life's true purpose. If any of what I am saying rings true with you, then you are already on the right path. Follow your heart and keep searching for the truth. If this seems like "bs", that is ok too. Maybe it will make sense in time. With the world changing so fast, humans must either evolve or die. Our lives must change whether we want them to or not. Where we live or even how we have to live is not important. It is WHY we live that we need to be concerned with. Thank you for listening to an old man's thoughts and I hope it connects in some way with your inner feelings.

In conclusion, I was guided to write to you out of compassion and love only. As I said, I have no power except the power of truth. I don't know all of the answers. I can only tell you where the path begins. The journey you take from there is yours alone. I wish you and your families all the best and you will be in my prayers.

Love,
A friend