On Tuesday, Administrator of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Dr. Jane Lubchenco, confirmed the presence of underwater plumes, fifty days after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Lubchenco’s announcement followed weeks of denial by BP officials who have maintained that the oil is confined to the surface.
Lubchenco explained that the results, taken from water samples, confirmed plumes at depths of 3,300 feet at location 40 and 42 nautical miles northeast of the well sites. Another sampling found plumes 142 nautical miles southeast of the wellhead.
The head of NOAA also said that the oil had been fingerprinted and the surface samples taken 40 nautical miles northeast from the wellhead were consistent with BP’s oil spill. However, hydrocarbons found in samples 142 nautical miles southeast of the wellhead at 330 feet and 1,000 feet were not consistent with the BP oil spill, she said.
Lubchenco said that NOAA remains concerned about the location of oil on the surface and under the sea and that along with her agency, the University of South Florida will remain vigilant in their search for answers in what is a “human tragedy and an environmental disaster.”
The water samples were taken by scientists from the University of South Florida aboard the Weatherbird II research vessel and analyzed by NOAA.
