1. The sun was a major factor here and does not affect the oil at the depths we are talking about where it can remain in the food chain for decades. Every time a hurricane enters the gulf the sea bed is churned.
The oil at depth is apparently very dilute and most likely most of it will be carried out to the central Atlantic.
2. The BAY of Campeche is also a shallow bay with sandy beaches...not the open gulf and marsh lands where the soil holds the oil.
As one of the other links pointed out organics devour or overgrow most of the oil that comes inland and I believe it is more readily consumed or covered in a more organically active estuary than on a sandy beach.
3. I wonder what the effect of despersants will be on those organisms that normally eat oil. It seems to be making the fishermen pretty sick!
Don't know. Good question.
4. Even in your article the return of the seafood was not without issue...."I found shrimp with tumor formations in the tissue, and crabs without the pincers. These were very serious effects," Soto said. Bon Apetit.... Time will tell! I won't be eating gulf seafood any time soon, probably not in my lifetime.
I took him to be saying that occurred in the first year and by the second those effects had largely dissipated.
There's no doubt this is an awful thing, but I think there's hope and evidence that the impact might be less than feared, especially long term.
Let's hope so.
Anyway, I'm glad we could disagree peacefully.
mud
