Oil Plumes Confirmed Deep in the Gulf

We’re due for good news sooner or later, right? The U.S. government has confirmed that plumes of oil are spreading far below the ocean surface from the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon well. This raises anew questions about the impact of the spill on sea life in the region. While tests conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida found that the concentrations of oil-related chemicals in the water were, for the most part, low, they also confirmed that certain toxic compounds were spreading. The impact on fish and other wild life is still being determined. According to Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which helped fund the research, the NOAA is working hard to figure out “where the oil is going.”