Loop Current Could Bring Oil to East Coast
The next stop on BP’s runaway disaster train: the “loop current.” This warm water current sets up in the Gulf of Mexico and flows out through the Florida Straights, past the Keys and joins the Gulf Stream on the East Coast. Fishermen track the current because it is teeming with life and is a “harbinger of good catches”. Dr. Nick Shay, a oceanographer at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, stated today that the oil spill could hit the Loop Current within 24 hours. Once the oil is entrained in the current, says Dr. Shay, it could take the oil a week or less to impact Florida’s beaches, coral reefs, fisheries and ecosystems.
One-way Ticket to the Outer Banks
It would take more than a week for the oil in the loop current to head up the East Coast of Florida, however, Dr. Shay said that he cannot imagine a scenario where the oil does not at least reach the Florida Keys and then head into the Gulf Stream. Essentially this ongoing tragedy, which originated 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, has the potential to now impact wildlife and economies all the way to Cape Hatteras, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
All Hands on Deck
Non-profit groups all throughout the Gulf region are mobilizing volunteers for what is thought to be the worst environmental catastrophe of our lifetimes. Groups like the Gulf Restoration Network, Mobile Baykeepers and many others are working with officials to prepare for oil’s landfall. The devastation and clean up could take months if not decades.
Worse than Hurricane Katrina
Businesses are preparing for the worst. Many communities in the Gulf rely on their fisheries and tourism industry for survivial. In one coastal Alabama town, the annual blessing of the fishing fleets occurred on the same day that officials closed down the waters for fishing without any indication of when they might be reopened.
“At least Katrina left us clean water. We had something to eat. This is worse than Katrina” – Captain Skrmetta , Tour Boat owner in Louisiana
The Gulf Region is on standby; folks on the ground feel like all they can do is wait.
Tags: Alabama, coastal, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Offshore Drilling, South Carolina
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The recent discovery of a massive plume of oil under the water is likely to be interacting with the loop current. This is the movement of water below the surface as it enters the Gulf of Mexico from the south, then passes south of Louisiana towards the Florida Keys, and hooks up with the Gulf Stream off of the US east coast. This image represents the surface current which reflects what is happening below the surface water. It is important to know that a time frame has not been given for the movement of this oil.
Comment by east coast beaches on May 27, 2010 3:46 am
An ocean current could carry oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico around Florida and up the East Coast, federal officials said Tuesday. Officials also announced they were closing one-fifth of federal waters in the Gulf to fishing—a major blow to the seafood industry—due to the threat of oil still leaking from a well opened by the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which burned and sank late last month.
Comment by Cruise on June 9, 2010 1:13 am
Have you seen the pictures of the birds in the oil? I know the brown pelican one but the smaller bird. He was just a big ball of goo. Actually made me really mad.
Comment by New york city attractions on January 31, 2011 4:49 am