Today is Day 50 of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident.  According to the June 8, 2010 Florida Deepwater Horizon Response Report, dime to dollar-sized tar balls and tar patties were found in widely scattered areas from the Alabama/Florida state line east to Okaloosa County on Monday, June 7.  There were no reported tar balls found in Bay County on June 7.  Tar ball and tar patty findings are more concentrated in the western-most Florida counties.  Clean-up teams continue to be on scene.  Oil sheen has been reported off the Navarre Beach area and on the Alabama/Florida state line.  

According to NOAA projections, additional impacts are expected throughout northwest Florida within the next 72 hours due to onshore winds.  Multiple skimmers have been dispatched to collect tar mats and sheen.

Potential impacts to Florida's shoreline will likely be highly weathered, in the form of tar balls, oil sheen, tar mats or mousse - a pudding-like oil/water mixture that could be brown, rust or orange in color.  Observations by NOAA continue to indicate that a small portion of the oil slick, in the form of light sheens, has reached the Loop Current Ring, a circular current which was formerly part of the Loop Current but has pinched off at the Florida Straits.  Florida continues to monitor the location of the Loop Current Ring for potential reattachment to the Florida Straits.

There have been no reports of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill-related oil products reaching the shore beyond the Panhandle region.  There is no indication that the rest of the state will have impacts from weathered oil products within the next 72 hours.  If oil is sighted on Florida’s coastline report it to the State Warning Point at 1-877-2-SAVE-FL (1-877-272-8335) or by dialing #DEP from most cell phones.

< Prev		Next >

You need to login or register to post comments.
Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts)