Researchers at a Florida university recently received a substantial grant to examine the effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
It has been more than 18 months since the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig led to one of the worst oil spills in history and now researchers from the University of South Florida will receive $11 million to help them study it, according to Tampa Bay Online.
The researchers will examine how the spill is affecting the marine life in the region as well as the Gulf as a whole.
Chemical oceanographer David Hollander said that the nature of this particular oil spill was different than typical incidents.
“Traditionally, oil spills only affect the surface, making it a two-dimensional phenomenon,” he told the news source. “Though in a deep water spill, not only does oil rise to the surface, a good portion stays in the subsurface. It turns out being not a two-dimensional disaster, but a three-dimensional catastrophe.”
Regardless of the researchers’ findings, employing proper oil spill cleanup methods is crucial to restoring the body of water. Impact Absorbents’ XSORB Oil Select Boom can aid greatly in these efforts.
