Scientists: Oiled marshes are "healing".

[DCBob]

BARATARIA BAY, La. – Shoots of marsh grass and bushes of mangrove trees already are starting to grow back in the bay where just months ago photographers shot startling images of dying pelicans coated in oil from the massive Gulf oil spill.

More than a dozen scientists interviewed by The Associated Press say the marsh here and across the Louisiana coast is healing itself, giving them hope delicate wetlands might weather the worst offshore spill in U.S. history better than they had feared. Some marshland could be lost, but the amount appears to be small compared with what the coast loses every year through human development.

On Tuesday, a cruise through the Barataria Bay marsh with scientists revealed thin shoots growing up out of the oiled mass of grass. Elsewhere, there were still gray, dead mangrove shrubs, likely killed by the oil, but even there new green growth was coming up.

"These are areas that were black with oil," said Matt Boasso, a temporary worker with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill_healing_marsh

Of course many of the "doom and gloomers" wont want to believe this. They had their heart set on an environmental catastrophe. It is still a serious problem and BP still needs to pay out the nose for the damage done but it does look like nature is going to heal itself.. and alot sooner than most expected.

[RandomThoughts]

1. Or the oil story was hype.

Or the oil gone story is hype.

I posted I was not worried about it when it happened, still not.

[madrchsod]

2. well what about all the critters that live in those marshes?

no one mentions what has happened to them......out of sight out of mind?

[DCBob]

13. Once the marshes regrow.. the critters will return..

some have probably already returned.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. They will just look a little "different"

[DCBob]

19. Are those from the Gulf oiled areas?

[pitohui]

27. those are almost certainly captive bred herps

the frogs, OK, that's a legitimate problem w. frog reproduction, altho it isn't confined to the gulf and isn't the fault of BP, it's more likely the fault of big agriculture chemicals

the snakes, turtles, etc. -- are you sure those aren't from private collections?

nick cage had a two-headed snake that he PURCHASED, for his collection, that he donated when he ran into financial troubles, it was not caused by BP, it was a collectible

we have siamese twins or whatever they're called now among humans too, pretty sure the cause is not BP but rather an imperfect splitting of the egg when an identical twin is trying to form

[DCBob]

43. yeah, likely agri-chemicals caused those mutations...

very common in the midwest where there is heavy use of pesticides.

[onethatcares]

3. let's see how it plays out with the oysters

I think we give it a year. Then we'll see if Haley Barbour wants to have an oyster eating contest with homegrowns on national teeeveee.

[thereismore]

4. That black oil must have been good stuff if bushes grow in it... I don't buy it

[BrklynLiberal]

5. It's gosh-darned MIRACLE!!!!

Too bad about all the dead birds and fish and whales and.............

[DCBob]

14. whales??

[Junkdrawer]

18. Whales...

...

JERRY COPE: Well, a friend of mine, Charles Hambleton, and I came down about three weeks ago. We’ve been hearing a lot of stories. People were calling both of us regarding the loss of marine life and that there was a tremendous cover-up operation in place to conceal this from the public and the media. And this was at the same time where a lot of, you know, mainstream media were complaining about restricted access, that they couldn’t get onto the beaches, they weren’t allowed to fly. So these calls kept coming in.

We finally decided three weeks ago to come down and see for ourselves what the situation was, and we went from Louisiana all the way to Florida, spent a great deal of time around Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama, which tends—is kind of like ground zero in this whole mess, in terms of especially the effects of the dispersant. There’s a great many people there that are sick and ill. The doctors aren’t really sure how to treat them. Dr. Riki Ott’s been down, spending a lot of time with those folks. Myself, I have a pneumonia induced by chemical exposure. I’ve been talking to doctors in Boston.

But the—we talked to numerous fishermen and local people, and there was, in fact, a very large-scale operation with BP, assisted by several federal agencies, to cover up the loss of marine life. They gathered up the fish, birds, whales, dolphins, all the sea life, and the carcasses were destroyed, in very large numbers.

...

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/4/environmental_activist_jerry_cope_on_the

[DCBob]

21. How on earth do they hide dead whales??

good grief.

[Junkdrawer]

26. Shell Beach....

Shell Beach, in Hopedale, Louisiana, was one of the sites where carcasses of sperm whales were suspected of being destroyed. The operational end of the island was closed to unauthorized personnel and the airspace closed. The U.S. Coast Guard closed off all access from the Gulf. This picture shows the area as it was prepped to receive what were suspected to be whale carcasses for disposal.




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-cope/the-crime-of-the-century_b_662971.html

[DCBob]

28. Where are the dead whales??

??

[Junkdrawer]

30. In Alaska they were eventually cremated. In the Gulf, land fills are suspected....

Given that the military (U.S. Coast Guard) closed off the area, unless it Wikileaks, we may never know.

[DCBob]

32. so its all just speculation and hearsay.. no hard evidence.. as I thought.

[Junkdrawer]

34. The military is real good about preventing hard evidence collection....

Most of the time....

[DCBob]

36. sorry, I need hard evidence.. too many people make up shit..

[BrklynLiberal]

38. Including scientists on the payroll of big Corporations.

[DCBob]

39. do you have hard evidence to back up that claim?

[Cetacea]

58. And BP doesn't.

There is plenty of evidence that BP interfered with the flow of information to the public.
And lied to the public and the government.

[CreekDog]

78. actually, you don't need hard evidence

when you get 1 thin reed of good news, you believe it without subjecting it to any standard of proof.

[Cetacea]

56. Here is one of them: NYT: Spill May Have Taken Its Largest Victim Yet

"Over the last weeks, the carcasses of oily pelicans, turtles and other animals have washed to shore in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the first dead whale has been found — a juvenile sperm whale floating 77 miles from the leaking oil well..."

Now, dead whales don't usually float very long as sharks get to them in rapid fashion. Unless of course the sharks are dead. This one was estimated to have been dead for up to one week.

We know of fifty-four dolphin deaths. Whales would be affected by the deep oil plumes more than the dolphins.

And it's all in the wording: From NOAA: Out of fifty-nine dead sea mammals, fifty-four were dolphins. The only two mammals in the gulf are dolphins and whales.
That means four whales have been found dead and nobody has reported it.

[DCBob]

75. Was this poor creature tested to determine actual cause of death?

Wonder how the BP whale crematories missed this one?

[slutticus]

45. They're with the passengers of flight 93 of course.

Duh!

DUH!

[Cetacea]

57. The death of one whale was widely reported.

Sorry mate.

[BrklynLiberal]

24. ...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100521-science-environment-gulf-mexico-oil-spill-sperm-whales/

http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/environment/destruction/news.php?q=1281378440

http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/article/whale-found-dead-in-gulf/897060/Jun-17-2010_10-43-am/

http://vodpod.com/watch/4170077-death-gyre-in-the-gulf-mnn-mother-nature-network

[FedUpWithIt All]

70. + + + + +

Honestly...

[Junkdrawer]

6. Obama Administration Prevents Independent Scientific Analysis of Gulf

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8924507

And...

Functioning as an independent researcher in and around the Gulf of Mexico these days is no simple task. I study insect and plant communities in near-shore habitats fringing the Gulf, and my work has gotten measurably harder in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It's not hazardous conditions associated with oil and dispersants that are hampering our scientific efforts. Rather, it's the confidentiality agreements that come with signing up to work on large research projects shepherded by government entities and BP and the limited access to coastal areas if you're not part of those projects that are stifling the public dissemination of data detailing the environmental impact of the catastrophe.

Some Gulf scientists have already been snatched up by corporate consulting companies with offers of $250/hour. Others are badgered for their data by governmental agencies. Some of us desire to conduct our work without lawyers, government officials, or corporate officers peering over our shoulders. In the end, it may be the independent, non-biased researchers who can deliver credible scientific results that perform the crucial function of assessing the damage wrought by this disaster...if we survive professionally.

...

In southern Alabama back in late May, my PhD student's ant samples were taken away by a US Fish and Wildlife officer at a publicly accessible state Wildlife Management Area because our project hadn't been approved by Incident Command (also called the Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command -- which is a joint program of BP and federal agencies, such as the Coast Guard, the Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, assembled to respond to problems related to the April 20 blowout).

We've had similar experiences in south Louisiana, where our research trip was halted after driving more than 150 miles to a study site. On the way to our sampling sites in Grand Isle, LA, were turned away by a sheriff's deputy blocking the road who said that he was told to allow no one who wasn't associated with BP or NRDA to pass that point. We've also been blocked by the Wisner Trust, one of the largest private land owners of marsh habitat in Louisiana, who in the past allowed LSU researchers access to their property. The lawyer representing the trust indicated that they are coordinating over 700 different people associated with BP and NRDA and that they simply cannot approve access for anyone else.

...

http://www.the-scientist.com/templates/trackable/display/news.jsp?type=news&id=57610&o_url=news/display/57610

[DCBob]

44. Greenpeace is starting a three-month expedition to study Gulf ecosystem and marine life

from Greenpeace..

Many questions have remained unanswered throughout the entire Gulf oil spill disaster and its response. Last week we submitted 27 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to uncover information on underwater oil plumes, impacts to marine wildlife, chemical dispersants and more.

Even if the report’s calculations are accurate, we know that the Gulf will be feeling the effects of this disaster long after the oil disappears from the human eye. Despite the fact that the wellhead appears to have been capped, we must redouble efforts to understand the true impacts of this catastrophe. There is no question that some of the oil is being broken down by bacteria, but this eats up a lot of oxygen. How is this process affecting the Gulf dead zone that plagues the Gulf each summer?

The impact on commercially and recreationally important fish stocks is another huge concern, but so far remains largely unknown. Of further concern is the impact on Gulf food webs. Oil and dispersant has been observed in plankton, which moves quickly up the food chain to whales and whale sharks. Even more poorly understood is the impact on the deep sea. Cold water coral reefs and the sponges and anemones of the sea floor provide habitat for many species, but very, very little exploration has yet been done to investigate the health of this critical part of the Gulf ecosystem.

These are many questions that still need answers in the wake of this disaster. That’s why next week, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise will begin a three-month expedition to support independent scientists’ efforts to research the impacts to the Gulf’s ecosystem and marine life.

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/is-the-oil-gone/blog/26117
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/oilspilltruth

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. I know I WANT the healing story to be true

Extensive, long-term damage would be terrible.

[golddigger]

8. Has it occurred to anyone

that maybe these scientist are being paid by BP to say this?

[BrklynLiberal]

11. They sure as hell are being paid by SOMEONE to say this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[asdjrocky]

12. Shhhhh.

You don't want reality creeping in now do ya?

[DCBob]

17. Has it ever occured to you that what they are claiming is a very simple thing to verify??

good grief.

[pitohui]

22. yeah barataria bay isn't like going up to some place in the arctic somewhere

anyone who has questions is welcome to travel to the coast and check it out for themselves

two beaches have actually been re-opened in grand isle, which most of us thought would be just decimated for years

for the price of a small toll tag you can get on hwy 1 and see for yourself, frankly they would welcome the business, it's too late to save the fishing rodeo season but you can help folks out and witness for yourself if you wish

don't get me wrong, this ain't over by a long shot, but it's good that things are not as terrible as we all feared in the beginning

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. nature is far more resilient than people give it credit for

[gratuitous]

16. Certainly the area around Mt. St. Helens shows that

But it will be well after anyone now here is gone before the forest areas around that volcano resemble what they looked like prior to 1980. Now that oil has stopped gushing into the Gulf (more of a leak now), the improvement will be noticeable. But for the Gulf and its denizens to get back to pre-2010 condition? Probably decades, possibly never.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. If this goes the same way as the Bay of Campeche

after Ixtoc I... try ONE decade for most of it.

[izquierdista]

10. Almost by definition

As in "when the well was capped, things started to get better". Of course it's going to take a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time before I join you guys in a Bayou crawfish boil.

[Poboy]

51. Actually

Crawfish are just fine. They're inland/fresh water. Don't touch the oysters or crabs though. I'm not. Saltwater fish either. Catfish farms are good.

The marsh does look to be coming back. This is great.
Long term outlook. honestly, who the hell knows.
I do however believe we have been prevented from seeing the worst, and this continues with our own government protecting BP.

[NJmaverick]

20. Thanks for the good news

[DCBob]

25. I knew I would be bashed and thrashed for this but its ok..

I will be the whipping boy today.. :)

[Grown2Hate]

33. I certainly wouldn't bash you for posting this great news, but I still worry about the

underwater plumes and dead zones created in the Gulf. This is excellent news, and I just hope that we end up seeing most of the underwater life returning and thriving again in the relatively near future. K&R, btw.

[DCBob]

42. Yeah, I agree with that.. there is still potential for major long term problems..

but for now its looking promising.

[tnlefty]

29. Unrec'd for the infantile, tiresome name calling for the inane

sentiment that anyone wants an environmental catastrophe. I don't think that Dr. Ott, John Wathen, and so many others, including people who post here want a catastrophe. Jesus fucking christ.

Who are these scientists? The ones BP paid off?

[G_j]

31. agreed, could have left that out... nt

[tnlefty]

46. This poster does this frequently, no more than I'm around these

days I've noticed it quite a bit and it is beyond boorish and ridiculous.

[DCBob]

35. unrec your unrec for not realizing many did want an environmental catastrophe..

they were hoping a oil spill disaster this would force new stricter laws on oil drilling and provide an incentive to push alternative fuels. No doubt about it.

[tnlefty]

48. No one was hoping for any such goddamned thing, rather fearing

the ramifications of this disaster.

Based on what has been revealed about the cozy relationship between MMS and the oil industry are you really stating that stricter regulations aren't needed?

I heard Peter Maas on Thom Hartmann's show this afternoon and he was discussing what many others have stated, that we have probably reached Peak Oil and we'd better get serious about coming up with alternative energy sources. That aside, are you also making the claim that we have no reason to move toward alternative, renewable fuel sources?

I also heard a certain deceased person mention that people that he knew in and around DC were erroneously convinced that BP is a good company (what a joke with all of their safety violations and practices) and they were convinced that coverage of the gusher was an attempt to tar to circumvent a meaningful energy policy. Sound familiar?

See, I did that without name calling.

[DCBob]

49. No doubt we need stricter oil drilling regulations and peak oil is nearing or already upon us..

but there is no reason to over-hype a disaster in order to achieve progress on those issues.

[tnlefty]

53. How do you already know that it's been overhyped?

In much smaller spills the mangroves are dead after 10+years, and it didn't seem so bad at first.

Prince William Sound is still full of oil and oil is oozing up through sand in LA. The locals around Barataria Bay are stating that it's bad and getting worse. The locals in many areas are stating how bad the conditions are, but are being shouted down and I'm certain they didn't/don't want what's happening to them.

I heard on the radio today that Thad Allen is talking about closing up the incident command center in approx. 6 weeks and I now fully understand why Mike Pappantonio called him a buffoon a few weeks ago.

[G_j]

59. didn't

Rush say that?

[BrklynLiberal]

37. yep. there were repukes who were saying that the environmentalists setup the explosion...

I believe that is called "projection" in psychoanalytic circles.

[tnlefty]

52. So someone is repeating right wing, repuke, talking points, eh?

I thought that was a no-no.

I do remember hearing the late Matt Simmons talking about people that he knew in and around DC had the absurd notion that the coverage of the Gulf disaster was a green conspiracy and it was an attempt to tar a good company, BP. He then went on to rail about BP's numerous safety violations and unsafe practices pointing out that BP is in no way a good company. Sound familiar?

Does to me.

[G_j]

73. it's done all the time

here

[Junkdrawer]

40. Must be the BP approved ones because others are having their samples confiscated....

See my Post #6 above.

[tnlefty]

66. Thanks, I did see it.

And I think I saw it earlier as well. It seems that the Wurlitzer is running fast and furious. Sad that.

[PufPuf23]

41. Pushing the propaganda nt

[Junkdrawer]

47. Look, if you squint just right, it's not at all obvious. n/t

[moksha]

61. Almost like there is an agenda.

Hmmm....

[XemaSab]

50. Bullshit

n/t

[bbinacan]

54. Great news. n/t

[Stuckinthebush]

55. This is wonderful news!

Fantastic.

[Individualist]

60. DOJ gags scientists investigating BP disaster

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/10/scientists-bp-gag

[FedUpWithIt All]

71. I was just about to post this here too.

The reports of BP buying off scientists were all over the place a few weeks ago. Now the news de jour is that it wasn't really that bad, see how quickly things are bouncing back...:eyes:

bushboy was right about one thing..."you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." x( Bp was listening, or maybe they had already learned this to be true a long time ago. Really, it is just stunning.

[bvar22]

62. How about a plate of fresh raw Louisiana Oysters, Bob?

Hmmm?
Double Dog Dare you, Bob.

[DCBob]

67. I dont eat raw oysters from anywhere..

cooked.. no problem.

[tnlefty]

69. I saw Bob Cavnar in an interview with a Canadian (?) tv channel

BNN, anyway the interview was about his book detailing what happened on the Deepwater Horizon. There was discussion of the aftermath, and the interviewer mentioned that Cavnar lives in Houston and mentioned our governmental agencies proclamations that the seafood is safe to eat and asked if he would eat it.

Mr. Cavnar responded that he loved oysters, especially from the Gulf, and that when he went to a restaurant recently he asked about the oysters and when the waiter told him they were imported from Newfoundland, he ordered them.

[golddigger]

63. What oil spill?

[Yeahyeah]

72. I think it's time to admit that the liberal media exaggerated the hell out of it.

I'm going down there and taking me a seahorse ride.

[Bluebear]

64. The remnants of an amputation "heal" too, but the arm is still gone.

[rucky]

65. Good news, but please spare us the pot shots.

It seems I can't read anything here anymore that isn't tainted with a smear towards one faction or the other.

[DCBob]

76. Sorry, but I have been unfairly bashed repeatedly over the past couple of weeks..

for posting anything positive about this situation. The "pot shots" are intended for those who did it and they deserve it.

[L0oniX]

68. Yea ...the brown spot on my lawn where I dumped a quart of 5-30 SAE is growing green grass again.

:crazy:

[DCBob]

77. Here is photo of some of the new marsh grass..

Photo by Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press.
"This pelican was photographed Tuesday flying over new marsh grass in an area that had been impacted by the oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill near East Grand Terre Island. In the background is a dredging project initiated by the state of Louisiana."

[KoKo]

74. Hmpft....Probably the same scientists who pooh, pooh global warming and Theory of Evolution...

They can always find them...when they need to. Surely BP had them on the Rolodex the minute they knew they were in big trouble.