NEW ORLEANS, LA – Federal scientists said Thursday they had not found any visible oil on the sea floor around the BP PLC well that spewed hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Other scientists say they have found a layer of oil on the sea floor.
Janet Baran, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration coordinating efforts to find what oil is left in Gulf, said no visible oil had been found on 114 sediment samples in waters more than 3 miles offshore.
NOAA’s findings are in contrast to those of University of Georgia researcher Samantha Joye, who reported earlier this month that she found oil at least two inches thick about a mile beneath the surface. Joye said that under the oiled sediment she found a layer of dead shrimp and other small animals.
