BP oil spill could spread to Atlantic Ocean

As the slick is posed to hit western Florida coast, a model predicts a much wider spread-

BP oil spill could spread to Atlantic Ocean. Christian Science Monitor.

This comes amid predictions that the gusher won’t be stopped until relief wells intersect the oil reservoir in August.  Even then, relief wells sometimes fail to work.

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Update  June 4. BP finally captures some oil from leaking well. MSNBC
Update June 4. Scientists Warn Oil May Spread Up Atlantic Coast (good graphics and video). AP/Huffington Post

Hurricane season comes to oil slick country

Will hurricanes add to the on-going unnatural disaster?

Hurricane season begins June 1, and its peak is late August when the the relief wells might have finally stopped the oil gusher. Hurricane Season Raises New Fears. By Kenneth Chang. New York Times.

I recall that last year the hurricane season was quite mild in terms of them hitting the United States, but a tropical storm did form in the Gulf of Mexico in June and pounded ashore near where the oil slick floats.

Update: As if to underscore the beginning of hurricane season, the first tropical storm of the season hit central American May 30-31 and killed about 150 people. Nearly 150 dead from Central America storm. By the CNN Wire Staff

Oil gusher may be much worse than thought

Scientists Find Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Under the Gulf-

Past oil spills have always been on the surface. So we tend to think of measuring their size that way (by overhead photography).  However this oil gushing out of the deep and much not coming to the surface.  Huge underwater plumes are present unseen and unmeasurable from above.

Scientists Find Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Under the Gulf. By Justin Gillis. New York Times.