The Information Super-Frog

NASA: Earth Observatory: Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico

For anyone under the mistaken impression that this is over or almost over, 28 July photo from space shows large areas of oil slick in Gulf.

Examiner: BP media blackout UPDATE: Scientists emerge with warnings of BP chemical dispersant abuse

Huffington Post: Scientists Find Evidence That Oil And Dispersant Mix Is Making Its Way Into The Foodchain

WVUE: Blobs in crab larvae characteristic of dispersant

"Researchers at Tulane say it appears they've detected a Corexit sort of fingerprint in the orange blobs found lodged in the bodies of tiny blue crab larvae collected from marshes that stretch from Texas to Florida."

" "I think they should be more concerned that we might be losing whole cohorts of these animals when they're very small, and we won't see the impact in the adults but three or four years from now. When we're expecting adult crabs coming into Lake Ponchartrain, there might not be as many out there." Since so many fish and crabs feed on crab larvae, some scientists fear the oil and dispersant droplets threaten to kill critical areas in the Gulf of Mexico food web."

C-Span: Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.) Briefing on Gulf Oil Spill 30 July

Reporter asks: Why are anti-pollution vessels grouped about 15 miles west of BP blow-out?

AP: Signs of oil spill recovery entering new phase

" BP's new boss says it's time for a "scaleback" in cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill."

[...]

"Commercial fishermen, meanwhile, were allowed back on a section of Louisiana waters east of the Mississippi River on Friday after federal authorities said samples of finfish and shrimp taken from the areas were safe to eat.

"About 70 percent of Louisiana waters are now open to some kind of commercial fishing, but state waters in Mississippi and Alabama remain closed and so do nearly a quarter of federal waters in the Gulf.

"Reinforcing the state's declaration that Louisiana seafood is safe to eat was U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. At a news conference in New Orleans, she said fish showed levels of contaminants that were "extremely low, significantly below the threshhold of concern."

"Seafood industry representatives hailed the reopening, but Rusty Graybill, a boat captain from Yscloskey, La., who fishes for crab, oysters and shrimp, said "it's a joke." "I'm pretty sure I'll go out, and I'll get oil-covered shrimp. They capped this well, and now they're trying to say it's OK," he said. Graybill, a wiry 28-year-old with a leathery tan, made a two-inch circle with his thumb and finger. "I'm still finding tar balls this big out there, and the boom is still covered in oil," he said."

Apparently oil and methane are now leaking from the ocean floor some distance away from the new well cap. The Sun Herald gives today's lesson on how to bury a lede:BP, feds clash over reopening capped Gulf oil well

"BP and the Obama administration offered significantly differing views Sunday on whether the capped Gulf of Mexico oil well will have to be reopened, a contradiction that may be an effort by the oil giant to avoid blame if crude starts spewing again."

Buried lede 4 paragraphs down:

"An administration official familiar with the spill oversight, however, told The Associated Press that a seep and possible methane were found near the busted oil well. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not been made yet. The concern all along - since pressure readings on the cap weren't as high as expected - was a leak elsewhere in the wellbore, meaning the cap may have to be reopened to prevent the environmental disaster from becoming even worse and harder to fix."

Times-Picayune does better: Associated Press says oil may be seeping from BP well

"A federal official said Sunday that scientists are concerned about a seep and possible methane seen near BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Both could be signs there are leaks in the well that's been capped off for three days. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not yet been made."

CS Monitor: Gulf oil spill: Fouling air as well as water?

Um, that has to be a question rather than a statement?

"The EPA says some communities in Louisiana face a 'moderate health risk' due to hydrocarbon fumes from the Gulf oil spill. Researchers will report air quality findings this week."

Two background pieces:

Picayune: Louisiana has always welcomed offshore oil industry, despite dangers

Washington Post puts things a bit more bluntly: Oil spills. Poverty. Corruption. Why Louisiana is America's petro-state.

WDSU:BP: No Oil Leaking Into Gulf

"Oil stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's busted well Thursday for the first time since the disastrous spill began, the oil giant said. It was the most significant milestone yet in BP's effort to control one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

"Now begins a waiting period to see if the cap can hold the oil without blowing a new leak in the well. Engineers will monitor pressure readings incrementally for up to 48 hours before reopening the cap while they decide what to do next. The cap is only planned as a temporary fix until a final plug is set from underground, maybe next month."

Shall I allow myself a bit of hopefulness?

Churchill said something in a different crisis which may be appropriate here:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

WDSU: Slidell Resident Reports Dead Fish In Lake Pontchartrain

Similarly Times-Picayune: Lake Pontchartrain fish kill reported

Click2Houston.com:Tar Mats Discovered In Galveston

"There are two big, black globs of tar scattered along the sand dunes on the west end of Galveston"

Picayune:NOAA seafood assessors are key part of effort to keep tainted fish from consumers

Testing for oil. "Dispersants will also be tested, but only based on the smell and taste tests."

Huffington Post: BP, Governments Downplay Public Health Risk From Oil and Dispersants

Huffington Post:BP Named The Fourth Most Profitable Company In The World

Examiner.com:BP payouts are Keeping Officials Quiet: Hear no Evil, See no Evil

APF: Oil spill claims arriving faster than BP can pay them

AP:EPA: Moderate health concerns with Gulf air

"The EPA says recent air sampling shows a moderate health risk in Venice and Grand Isle, two Louisiana towns about 50 miles from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site."

Picayune: Discovery of second pipe in Deepwater Horizon riser stirs debate among experts

Editorial by Jarvis DeBerry:In Louisiana, politics keeps getting in the way of science

Mercola.com: Just a Few Things BP Does NOT Want You to Know

More for anyone who hasn't had a bad news overdose yet, including such tidbits as "the average age at the time of death of workers who cleaned up after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill was 51".

Monbiot in The Guardian: Don't cry for investors burned by BP. They were warned loud and clear