Scientists discover new plume of oil beneath the Gulf

[malaise]

breaking on GEM$NBC

[no_hypocrisy]

1. From the same site or a new location?

[phleshdef]

3. Seems to be oil that had all ready leaked out. Now they are finding it.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Link here

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7024847.html

NEW ORLEANS — Marine scientists have discovered a massive new plume of what they believe to be oil deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico, stretching 22 miles from the leaking wellhead northeast toward Mobile Bay, Alabama.

The discovery by researchers on the University of South Florida College of Marine Science's Weatherbird II vessel is the second significant undersea plume recorded since the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20.

David Hollander, associate professor of chemical oceanography at the school, says the thick plume was detected just beneath the surface down to about 3,300 feet. He says it's more than 6 miles wide.

Scientists say they are worried the undersea plumes may be from chemical dispersants used to break up the oil a mile under the surface.

[malaise]

4. What a fucking mess

Thanks for the link

[kestrel91316]

5. IOW, the already-leaked oil is indeed going all over the place.

We knew it would.

[Ganja Ninja]

6. Wait a minute. I thought Obama didn't have anybody out there studying the oil plumes?

According to James Carville he didn't.

[amborin]

7. check this out:

from a ny times blog post:

"The only person of merit who's said anything yet is Matt Simmons, the oil-investment guru, author and oil recovery expert... He says we've been looking at a minor spill, but that a much larger rupture exists about six miles from the up-close pipe we've been staring at for days... He also said he'd come to this conclusion due to the intitial spread and further examination of satellite imagery... His voice was not the voice I know... assured, confident and aloof...more frightened, unsure and... empathic...

Nothing frightens me! I'm a martial artist and am as comfortable in a jungle as a desert, anywhere! I climb like an ape and swim like a fish. I've never been beaten toe-to-toe in a fight with less than four opponents! Most like me, some don't, but they all respect me for my fearlessness! Nothing that doesn't involve a threat to my family causes me concern... I live in Australia, as far from the spill as you could get, and I'm very afraid at this moment...

According to Simmons a much bigger problem exists, and everything we are seeing now is window-dressing to avoid panic, while the choice he believes BP has made for the REAL quenching of the flow, won't work... He believes we'll need to see the well collapsed with an explosion to have any chance... Could this be the death of an entire sea? I hope not, the implications are enormous... sudden mass-extinctions from a new type of "marsh gas" in the summer heat is only one, but anything including heavily populated areas would be worse"