Oil Rapidly Disappearing from Gulf

Jane Van Ryan
Posted August 4, 2010

With the success of the static kill, another important step has been taken toward recovery from the worst marine oil spill in American history. It's estimated that 4.9 million barrels of oil, plus or minus 10 percent, poured into the Gulf of Mexico.

Fortunately, about three-quarters of the oil has evaporated, been skimmed, burned, recovered from the wellhead or dispersed, which is helping to degrade it. According to a report issued this morning by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), only about 26 percent of the oil remains in the water or onshore.

The report also points out that the oil in the water is mostly a light sheen on the surface or dispersed below the surface. The Deepwater Horizon Unified Command says, "Early indications are that the oil is degrading quickly."

NOAA adds that fears of an undiscovered oil slick are unfounded. "There's absolutely no evidence that there's any significant concentration of oil that's out there that we haven't accounted for," NOAA's Jane Lubchenco told reporters. (The New York Times)

Scientists have known for many years that the Gulf contains bacteria that feed on dispersed and weathered oil. The Gulf is a hospitable environment for the microbes--the water is warm, it contains favorable oxygen and nutrient levels, and oil enters the Gulf's waters regularly through naturally-occurring oil seeps.

With worries about the oil spill abating, Gulf fishing grounds are being reopened. At one time, 36 percent of Gulf federal waters were closed to fishing; today 24 percent remain closed. States also are reopening state fishing grounds near their coastlines.