http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/expert-major-concern-that-oil-beneath-surface-to-be-drawn-into-stormhttp://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/may/29/291136/researchers-get–close-look-gulf-oil-spill/news-breaking/
Expert: “Major concern” that oil beneath surface to be drawn into stormBY OILFLORIDA, ON MAY 29TH, 2010
University of Miami professor Nick Shay had seen footage of the Gulf of Mexico oil slick. But it wasn’t until he flew over it on a research mission that he grasped the true scale of the catastrophe. “I was stunned when we circled ground zero,” Shay said from aboard a hurricane hunter aircraft operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “It’s a lot worse than I had envisioned just looking at what the footage has been on TV.”
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The sight of millions of gallons of oil spread across the surface of the Gulf left an impression on the crew of the research plane. “Personally, it seems a shame to see the vast destruction that’s going to occur because of it,” Commander Mark Nelson said. “It was really sad to see what we’ve done to the environment with this.”
Shay’s research focused on the status of the Gulf’s Loop Current, which carries warm water around the southern tip of Florida. Oil caught in the current could spread the slick – now largely isolated to coastal Louisiana – to the Florida Keys and possibly even Cuba.…
Shay said NOAA’s probes are finding oil hanging beneath the surface of the Gulf, waiting to be drawn into a storm.
“That’s a major concern,” he said. “If we get a hurricane moving through, it could upwell that oil.”
Shay said it’s difficult to tell how much worse the oil slick could get over time. But one thing is certain, he said:
“We got a first-hand look at the massive oil-spill cleanup that’s going to have to be done.”