Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Oil Catastrophe's Spread


WKRG.com News

Oil arrived at Mississippi and Alabama beaches and nears the Florida's Panhandle. Over 31% of the Gulf of Mexico is closed for fishing, up from 25% last Friday.

NOAA reported their 72 hour offshore estimate for June 4:

Trajectories for remaining observed oil within this region suggest these scattered sheens will continue to be entrained in a large clockwise eddy (Eddy Franklin) that has pinched off the main Loop Current.

Imagery obtained on May 30 also showed a narrow band of apparent sheen within the clockwise Loop Current eddy (Franklin) as far south as approximately 27 degrees 15 minutes. If this sheen persists or has tarballs associated with it, there is potential for some of it to become entrained into the Loop Current and move toward the Florida Straits.

The map projects oil to be within 100 miles of Key West. The zone of uncertainty includes the tip of Florida's Keys.

Over time, the large eddy pinching could be bad for Texas. While Governor Rick Perry might shout "bring it on," coastal communities are preparing.

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