Mote Marine and The Oil Spill 08.2010

My friend Vincent and I attended the briefing on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill held by Mote Marine. It lasted two hours and consisted of a overview of Mote Marine's efforts followed by a question & answer session with 10 scientists on staff. The bottom line: we know nothing for sure. And that is in the most frightening way. They estimate that more than 50% of the spill remains in the Gulf. And because of that, the worst impact is yet to be expected. They cited the Exon Valdez spill, which killed the fishing industry for Herring as the fish were no longer able to reproduce. [And that was a fraction of the spill this was ...] It took four years to notice. Here, currently, a total of 1024 Sea Turtles have been found to be impacted by the oil. Of those, 50% were already perished, [F*(k!].

There are three levels of oil that are being dealt with. The stuff that floats to the service; that sinks; and that stays suspended, or "dispersed" due to the two-million gallons of dispersant added to the spill. The "dispersed" levels were found to linger at 2,700 feet. Mote Marine uses AUV's (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) to continuously test specific areas for 30-days at a stretch, [pretty cool actually]. The good news is: testing out onto the continental shelf, west of Sarasota, reported no oil present. This was fortunately helped by the short-circuit of the ocean's current loop which - normally draws water up from Cuba and around the Gulf - now cuts immediately east and up the U.S. coast. A scientist further added that it has never been a safer time to purchase seafood as it is "under intense scrutiny from the FDA."

The accident was compared to the Intox I Spill, which contributed 150 million gallons, (compared to Deepwater's 200 million), and whose effects have been felt since 1979. The common thread to the evening was $$$. Mote Marine has done all of its research - independent of direct funds from the government or BP. As stated by Dr. Crosby, "We will not accept any donation that means we have to withhold information or muzzle or scientists." [Applause].

If you are not a member of Mote Marine, I highly recommend it. For $50, you can attend (and bring a guest) for a year. More importantly, if you love life on the water, consider volunteering.

If you encounter oil or an animal that is oiled: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN or RESCUE. Call 941.861.500 (Local Response)
Mote's oil spill update: http://www.mote.org/oilresponse
Mote's daily beach update: http://www.mote.org/beaches
And if you're pissed about the turtles, visit: http://www.seaturtle.org