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Gulf of Mexico Topography Played Key Role in Bacterial Consumption of Deepwater Horizon Spill
http://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122736&org=NSF&from=news[font face=Times,Times New Roman,Serif]Press Release 12-005
[font size=5]Gulf of Mexico Topography Played Key Role in Bacterial Consumption of Deepwater Horizon Spill[/font]
[font size=4]Scientists document how geology, biology worked together after oil disaster[/font]
January 9, 2012
[font size=3]…
The model revealed that one of the key factors in the disappearance of the hydrocarbon plumes was the physical structure of the Gulf of Mexico.
"It's the geography of the gulf," Valentine said. "It's almost like a box canyon. As you go northward, it comes to a head.
"As a result, it's not a river down there; it's more of a bay. And the spill happened in a fairly enclosed area, particularly at the depths where hydrocarbons were dissolving."
When the hydrocarbons were released from the well, bacteria bloomed. In other locations outside the gulf, those blooms would be swept away by prevailing ocean currents.
…[/font][/font]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1108756108[font size=5]Gulf of Mexico Topography Played Key Role in Bacterial Consumption of Deepwater Horizon Spill[/font]
[font size=4]Scientists document how geology, biology worked together after oil disaster[/font]
January 9, 2012
[font size=3]…
The model revealed that one of the key factors in the disappearance of the hydrocarbon plumes was the physical structure of the Gulf of Mexico.
"It's the geography of the gulf," Valentine said. "It's almost like a box canyon. As you go northward, it comes to a head.
"As a result, it's not a river down there; it's more of a bay. And the spill happened in a fairly enclosed area, particularly at the depths where hydrocarbons were dissolving."
When the hydrocarbons were released from the well, bacteria bloomed. In other locations outside the gulf, those blooms would be swept away by prevailing ocean currents.
…[/font][/font]
