Source:
New York Times June 2, 2010, 8:19 am
Evidence of Undersea Oil Plumes
By JUSTIN GILLIS AND JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF
Several gallons of clean seawater were passed through the filter on the left, while an equal volume of water from a suspected plume of oil droplets was passed through the one on the right. Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP, claimed recently that his company’s testing has shown “no evidence” that any of the oil in the Gulf of Mexico is lurking beneath the ocean surface. Oil is lighter than water, Mr. Hayward explained, and will rise to the top.
Apparently Mr. Hayward is not familiar with the results of a test conducted in Norway, in which his company took part, that suggested exactly the opposite would happen when oil was released in very deep water. A demand has come from Congress that Mr. Hayward explain himself.
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At least three groups of researchers have now reported evidence for these undersea plumes of oil droplets. And the government, with little fanfare, posted a map this week showing the location of one plume, based on sampling done by a research ship operating under contract to BP. This would seem to be the most detailed confirmation yet by a federal agency that the undersea plumes are real.
Read more:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/evidence-of-undersea-oil-plumes/