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Scientists: Oil May Reach Keys by Sunday

May 18, 2010 - Marine scientists say oil from the blown rig in the Gulf has made its way into the loop current is headed toward the Florida Keys.

Researchers at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg say oil could reach Key West by Sunday.
The loop current circulates in the Gulf and takes water south to the Florida Keys and into the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream could eventually take the oil up Florida's Atlantic coast.
USF marine scientists are using currents, wind forecasts and other data to make their predictions.
The U.S. Coast Guard says 20 tar balls have been found off Key West but the agency stopped short of saying whether they came from the BP oil spill.
The Florida Park Service found the 3-to-8 inch tar balls Monday during a shoreline survey.
The Coast Guard says no one at the Key West station was qualified to determine where the tar balls originated. They have been sent to a lab for analysis.

 


 

 

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