BP has finally capped the leak, so they say. Great. Rumors abound in South Florida that sub-surface oil is currently passing by Miami in the Gulf Stream and that NOAA officials are downplaying the extent of environmental impacts, as to not further exacerbate economic impacts of tourists just staying away.
What is definitely known, is that this tragedy is still a ongoing nightmare for blue carbon ecosystems and associated biota in the Gulf of Mexico. I will let the pictures speak for themselves:
Coastal marshes oiled. Northern Chandeleur barrier islands (AP Photo/David Quinn).
Louisiana Gulf Coast oiled (Michael Estigoy/SkyIMD & Greenpeace).
Coastal wetlands oiled (Matthew Preusch/Gulf Restoration Network).
Mangroves with oily boom. Cat Island, Barataria Bay, Louisiana (Kate Davison/Greenpeace).
Young heron and mangrove roots oiled. Barataria Bay, Louisiana (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert).
Endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtle oiled (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries).
Bottle Nose dolphins swimming under oily water. Chandeleur Sound, La. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
Oiled sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico (Georgia Department of Natural Resources).
