Undersea Oil Plume May Poison Sealife Food Chain

A thick, 22-mile plume of oil discovered by researchers off the BP spill site was nearing an underwater canyon, where it could poison the food chain for sealife in the waters off Florida.

The discovery by researchers on the University of South Florida College of Marine Science's Weatherbird II vessel is the second significant undersea plume reported since the Deepwater Horizon rig that BP PLC was leasing from Transocean Ltd. exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. The plume is more than 6 miles wide and its presence was reported Thursday.

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf

The cloud was neared a large underwater canyon whose currents fuel the food chain in Gulf waters off Florida and could potentially wash the tiny plants and animals that feed larger organisms in a stew of toxic chemicals, another researcher said Friday.

Larry McKinney, executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, said the DeSoto Canyon off the Florida Panhandle sends nutrient-rich water from the deep sea up to shallower waters.

McKinney said that in a best-case scenario, oil riding the current out of the canyon would rise close enough to the surface to be broken down by sunlight. But if the plume remains relatively intact, it could sweep down the west coast of Florida as a toxic soup as far as the Keys, through what he called some of the most productive parts of the Gulf.

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The plume was detected just beneath the surface down to about 3,300 feet, said David Hollander, associate professor of chemical oceanography at USF.

Hollander said the team detected the thickest amount of hydrocarbons, likely from the oil spewing from the blown out well, at about 1,300 feet in the same spot on two separate days this week.

The discovery was important, he said, because it confirmed that the substance found in the water was not naturally occurring and that the plume was at its highest concentration in deeper waters. The researchers will use further testing to determine whether the hydrocarbons they found are the result of dispersants or the emulsification of oil as it traveled away from the well.

The first such plume detected by scientists stretched from the well southwest toward the open sea, but this new undersea oil cloud is headed miles inland into shallower waters where many fish and other species reproduce.

The researchers say they are worried these undersea plumes may be the result of the unprecedented use of chemical dispersants to break up the oil a mile undersea at the site of the leak.

Hollander said the oil they detected has dissolved into the water, and is no longer visible, leading to fears from researchers that the toxicity from the oil and dispersants could pose a big danger to fish larvae and creatures that filter the waters for food.

"There are two elements to it," Hollander said. "The plume reaching waters on the continental shelf could have a toxic effect on fish larvae, and we also may see a long term response as it cascades up the food web."

Dispersants contain surfactants, which are similar to dishwashing soap.

A Louisiana State University researcher who has studied their effects on marine life said that by breaking oil into small particles, surfactants make it easier for fish and other animals to soak up the oil's toxic chemicals. That can impair the animals' immune systems and cause reproductive problems.

"The oil's not at the surface, so it doesn't look so bad, but you have a situation where it's more available to fish," said Kevin Kleinow, a professor in LSU's school of veterinary medicine.

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Oil Spill Hits Home for Obama

[whoofer]

I am thoroughly convinced that BP does not want to stop the oil, they want to capture it. This is taking precedence in BP's desire to cap and capture.

People including myself, offered BP a practically fool proof method to STOP the oil by using a rubber water filed bladder thereby choking off the oil completely on the broken end spilling last week.

Other people offered the same good Idea and similar ones. I believe BP is not telling the truth to the public and is playing the EPA and the media like puppets.

For instance, everyone knows that oil is toxic and if BP uses a completely non toxic dispersant, it will NOT render the oil non toxic! The oil will still be toxic, only now it is in the water column killing everything it comes in contact with!

Even the mere fact that BP asked the EPA for permission to use dispersants indicates to me that they were trying to get the media off their back. (Out of site out of mind)

This seems to be the media?s misconception. BP knows this but figured they will ask the EPA?s blessing. In this way, when the dispersed oil kills off all the coral, fish and in addition the bottom of the food chain leaving the ocean completely dead, BP can place the blame on the stupidity of the EPA for saying yes. Keep your eyes peeled on the news when the negligent trial starts; you will see this taking place.

I believe BP has an agenda of there own. Yes they want to stop the oil but not before they capture most of it for profit.

[wyodutch]

Look on the bright side... The Empire is still able to fund the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan at a cost of $3,000,000,000 a week. The Empire is also able to supply the Pentagoon with 120 million barrels of oil-based fuels and lubes... annually, to keep the machinery of occupation running smoothly.
.
Things don't seem all that bad when you just think about the things that the Empire deems important.

[socrates-1]

The Eastern seaboard of the United States of America is a priceless National Treasure which cannot be bought for any amount of money - or replaced once it has been desecrated.

This incident was not an accident, but rather it was an accident waiting to happen. In many ways it is worse than 9/11, but the attackers have not been terrorists - they've been cowboys.

A pilot has to check his landing gear before taking off, and an oil company should be required to check that their blow out preventer is working before placing it over a well. Commonsense.

BP can hardly drill wells safely let alone clean up their mess and shouldn't be involved in the "clean up" operation which is simply adding to confusion and distracting them from capping the well. It has become a sick joke to watch how American bureaucracy is so inept that it has to ask BP to "clean up" the coast of America. BP is not a cleaning company -it's an irresponsible oil company.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ought to be the responsible agency coordinating efforts in conjunction with the Coast Guard, but FEMA are about as useless as the Minerals Management Service (MMS).

FEMA doesn't even mention the oil spill on their website and couldn't manage a storm in a teacup.

David Halstead of the Florida division of FEMA says reassuringly that the only oil on the beaches of Florida is "suntan oil" and the Governor of Florida Charlie Crist, who has a website with a broken link for getting more information about the oil spill, wants to spend $25 million telling others that it's ok to visit Florida.

Obama has to do his own "junk shot" as soon as possible to get rid of all these fools and put people in charge of these agencies who have some sense between their ears.

[p_syrus]

Comments on: Undersea Oil Plume May Poison Sealife Food Chain

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Are these journalist idiots for real? "MAY POISON?" The oil that winds up discoloring the sand & turning away the tourist trade is a minor issue. The REAL damage is being done by the contamination of the Gulf & associated waters by this runaway well. The damage ensuing, economic, ecosystem, & quality of life, will continue for DECADES. Quite likely much of the damage will be irreversible resulting in permanent changes to aquatic ecosystems.

Where do they get these yoyos? Sheesh!

[ttkkdd]

I can't believe some idiots who try to blame this crisis on Obama. This disaster is BP's fault, pure and simple.
If politician is to blame, I would put it squarely on the shoulders of George Walker Bush and Dick Cheney. Why? Eight years of no oversight, and "cozy" relationship with big oil is invitation for such a disaster.
What do you expect when the president and the VP were oil man for last 8 of 10 years?

[Lifeson2112]

So you're just going to ignore the fact that it happened while Obama was president? Why didn't he fix the regulations if they were that bad? He's had plenty of time. Get over your Bush Derangement Syndrome.

[democracy3]

by Lifeson2112 May 28, 2010 6:22 PM EDT
Why didn't he fix the regulations if they were that bad? He's had plenty of time.
*****

I think he's had his hands full with a few other "minor" problems that Bush left behind. Or perhaps you just don't think that Bush left him much of a mess.

Get over your Obama Derangement Syndrome.

[texas_liberal]

Soon we will be buying our Shrimp and Crawfish from China too.