Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says heavier oil is now contaminating his state’s coastal marshes. Before, contamination was limited to a light, oily sheen.
Traveling with the governor, Billy Nungesser, the president of the coastal community of Plaquemines Parish said the oil has “laid down a blanket in the marsh that will destroy every living thing there.”
As the BP oil spill begins to creep into coastal wetlands in Louisiana, scientists are also monitoring its potential impact on the Florida Keys.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that a “small portion” of the oil spill has reached the Loop Current — a large flow of warm water in the eastern Gulf of Mexico that feeds into the Florida Straits and, eventually, the Gulf Stream.
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Researchers caution that the Loop Current is difficult to predict and it’s still unclear whether any oil from the BP spill will reach the Florida Keys. If it does, it would take at least a week, which experts say would allow time for both chemical dispersants and natural evaporation processes to mitigate the oil’s effects on the keys.
Earlier this week, several tar balls washed ashore in the Florida Keys. But the Coast Guard has determined they are not related to the BP oil spill. The origins of these tar balls remains a mystery.