We’ve all no doubt been following the progress in dealing with the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. BP put a containment system in place over the weekend, after a number of failed attempts, and is siphoning some of the oil from the water into a tanker ship.
Last week I mentioned what coastal ecologists are predicting the oil might mean for Louisiana’s wetlands. Early this week, some researchers said the oil is either approaching, or may have already entered, the loop current, which could transport it to the Florida Keys, to the Atlantic Ocean, and up the East Coast of the US.
An animated map is available online showing the movement of the oil from the date of the oil rig explosion on April 20 through Sunday, May 16. Based on aerial photos and NOAA computer models, the map shows areas of heavy, medium, and light areas of oil density in the Gulf, as well as its proximity to the Louisiana coast and barrier islands.
You can also find more detailed, but static, trajectory maps as well as other information on NOAA’s web site.