Tarballs showed up at Key West beaches as a preview of coming attractions for the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said traces of the BP oil leak are found in the Gulf of Mexico loop current, which could carry the oil spill to Florida in 10 days. Tarball and loop current news isn’t really helping the hotels and fishing boats in the gulf with their battle with the public perception the region is covered in oil. June first is when hurricane season begins.
Article Source: Key West tarballs not from gulf, but BP oil leak heads to Florida
False alarm – Key West tarballs
Recently, "Tarballs at Key West" has been a huge headline while BP puts each and every effort into stopping the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010. The Coast Guard said the BP oil leak isn't even where the tarballs came from. But despite the fact that very little of the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico has reached landfall to date, media coverage of the disaster is threatening to devastate the Gulf Coast tourism and the seafood industry. A region getting by on cash advance loans was anticipating a complete return to pre-Katrina prosperity in 2010, but the oil spill just happened to show up right before one more hurricane season officially kicks in on June 1.
A bad omen comes from Key West tarballs
The Tarballs at Key West didn’t actually come from the gulf oil spill, but the BP oil leak might be arriving on Florida’s shores eventually. The Los Angeles Times reports that a Coast Guard analysis determined conclusively the Key West tar balls do not match the type of oil from the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010. Sadly, traces of the BP oil leak have started to enter the Gulf of Mexico loop current, which is a powerful stream of warm water that circulates in and around the gulf, then south to the Florida Keys and the Gulf Stream.
BP oil leak devastating seafood industry
The oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico is putting tens of thousands of Gulf Coast business owners’ and workers’ livelihoods at risk. Because of the BP oil leak, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expanded a fishing ban in the Gulf. Nearly doubling the size of waters prohibited to the region's $2.4 billion seafood industry, the banned area covers 19 percent of the gulf. USA Today reports that Bayou La Batre, Ala., the “Seafood Capitol of Alabama,” has nearly stopped as shrimping vessels with nothing to do pack the bayou. A shortage of fishable areas could limit shrimp supplies and increase prices.
Key west tarballs actually undermine Florida tourism
The tarballs at Key West were sticky blobs of congealed oil that once in a while turn up on beaches there. They come from oil that has been dumped from ships' bilges, or other oil spills. Even so, the New York Times reports that under normal circumstances, hotels in the Florida Panhandle would be fully booked by now for Memorial Day weekend — which is the traditional start of the peak summer tourism season. Plenty of rooms are available given that the BP oil leak. Florida’s department of tourism is fighting against the BP oil leak with a whole bunch of info about Florida's destinations on its Web site in real time with beach Webcams, Twitter feeds and photos. Gov. Charlie Crist said he had secured $25 million from BP to fund the tourism advertising campaign after an initial $25 million went to disaster preparation and response.
Loop current at the Gulf of Mexico
The tarballs at Key West could be a sneak peak of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 for Florida’s beaches. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco told the Associated Press that aerial surveys show some light oil very close to or already within the loop current, but most of the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico remained miles away from the current as of Wednesday. Lubchenco says it will take about eight to 10 days after oil enters the Gulf of Mexico loop current before it begins to reach Florida. But scientists from the University of South Florida are forecasting it could reach Key West by Sunday.
Find more details on this topic
USA Today reports
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2010-05-13-gulfecon13_CV_N.htm
New York Times reports
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20tourism.html?ref=us
Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/17/coast-guard-tar-balls-key-west/
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