Federal officials: tar balls rolling in current toward Florida Keys; just days away

[salazarmms]

Source: Palm Beach Post

Florida Keys beachcombers in the next eight to 10 days may find tar oozing between their toes.

Federal officials said Tuesday that a tendril of oil from the massive and growing Deepwater Horizon slick appears to have latched onto the Gulf Loop. The statement by officials of the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration confirmed academics' conclusions and provided further signs that currents will carry oil through the Keys and up the state's southeastern coast toward Palm Beach County.

The statement came as officials awaited test results to see whether tar balls collected Sunday night on a beach in Key West came from the sunken rig's gushing, broken pipes. The results were expected within 48 hours, officials said Tuesday morning.

"I think it is safe to say that the tar balls washing ashore in the Florida Keys are an example of what might happen if the oil becomes entrained in the Loop Current," said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco. "The southeast tendril indicates the oil is or is increasingly likely to be entrained if it has not already."

Scientists and researchers said Monday that their data showed oil was sucked into the Gulf Loop over the weekend. On Tuesday scientists at the University of South Florida released trajectories based on five models.

"All the five model trajectory forecasts … show that this southern part of the oil slick will be transported along with the Loop Current," according to the University of South Florida oceanographers. "Our best estimates of the arrival dates of the oil spill, transported along with the Loop Current, for Key West, the middle Keys, and Miami are around May 23-24, May 26 and May 28, respectively."

Read more: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/federal-officials-tar-balls-rolling-in-current-toward-696352.html

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That means by June 1 it is all over for SE FL...
Everyone must check out the forecast map on the Post's site. It shows the oil on the coastline of Miami. It really hits home when you see it instead of read it. The Loop Current/Gulfstream's closest interaction with the shoreline of anywhere on the east coast of the US is Palm Beach County. WPB will probably be the hardest hit area on florida's mainland. Prepare neighbors.

[chill_wind]

1. To the GP.

Thank you for the info.

[Myrina]

2. ... must continue to chuckle at the hypocrisy of the populace ...

... jumping up and down & screaming about wanting smaller government and no taxes and how the 'free market' and 'private industry' is so much better than anything gov't can do ... until something like this happens and then they start to jump up and down and scream about why POTUS/the gov't isn't doing more - better and faster - to fix a problem 'private industry' caused in the first place.


Oy, America. :hurts:

[fatbuckel]

3. If they listened to themselves they would explode!

[KansDem]

6. I hear you!

If "jumping up and down and screaming" could replace oil and coal, we'd be exporting energy to the rest of the world!

And it would be "too cheap to meter."

[florida08]

7. yes the irony is stifling

well they're creating part time jobs though while they emaciate permanent ones, and lives and the ecosystem and our economy....

[alp227]

4. BP has ruined the summers of millions of people who want to go to Florida.

The coastal southeastern US has a lot of great beaches, and thanks to corporate greed over anything else, millions of Americans can't enjoy the tropics this summer. :cry:

[Dr.Phool]

10. Already happening.

A friend works for a major hotel in Clearwater Beach. She said the place is empty, and reservations are canceling fast.

The place was so dead yesterday, that staff were doing gymnastics in the lobby, because nobody was there.

[bergie321]

5. What exactly constitutes a "tendril"

BP has not exactly been forthcoming with amounts of oil to date.

[zenprole]

8. Hear, hear

Aye, since when is the spread of a catastrophic oil blowout a 'tendril,' anyway? Will the Feds call it a 'tendril' when tarballs wash up in Iceland?

[CLANG]

9. Looks bleak

[jdlh8894]

11. God, how I love computer models! n/t

[Festivito]

12. These tar balls are common. Come from OTHER OIL WELLS in water.

My ultra-conspiracy antenna is pointing at a quick bombardment of media with tar ball that DO NOT BELONG to the current gusher. Then when the real ones hit people won't be listening.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4388303&mesg_id=4388506