The underwater plumes spreading in the Gulf of Mexico have
emerged as the most worrisome and scientifically provocative
environmental story following the Deepwater Horizon spill. But
researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and
affiliated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI)
recently reported that one of the most dire predictions may not
be accurate. From June 19 to 28, the scientific team used an
autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with an underwater mass
spectrometer to investigate a hydrocarbon plume at least 22
miles long, 1.2 miles wide, and 650 feet deep located 3,000 feet
under the Gulf surface. The plume was found to be moving at
about 0.17 miles per hour southwest of the blowout. Based on
about 57,000 discrete chemical analyses, the researchers said
the plume was characterized by a class of petroleum hydrocarbons
at concentrations of more than 50 micrograms per liter. These
samples had no odor of oil and were clear. This does not mean
that the plume is not harmful to t