Long term effects unpredictable
The director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which continues to monitor the oil on this 100th day since the British Petroleum blowout, has described the oil in the Gulf of Mexico as becoming increasingly difficult to find on the water surface.
"The light crude oil is biodegrading quickly," NOAA director Jane Lubchenco said during the response team daily briefing. "We know that a significant amount of the oil has dispersed and been biodegraded by naturally occurring bacteria."
Lubchenco said, however, that both the near- and long-term environmental effects of the release of several million barrels of oil remain serious and to some extent unpredictable.
In a full Washington Post article found here, you will find out additional conclusions that the NOAA has produced as analysis of the oil slick continues. The NOAA has been taking samples of water from various depths of the Gulf of Mexico, looking at how wildlife has been affected and has been working with the independent scientific community to try to come up with a conclusion. According to the director, she said “We’re getting close to an answer.”
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