NOAA Observations Indicate Small Portion of Light Oil Sheen Has Entered the Loop Current

KEYS TOURISM ADVISORY 15       May 19, 2010 • 5:30 PM

News and Information From the Monroe County Tourist Development Council

NOAA Observations Indicate Small Portion of Light Oil Sheen Has Entered the Loop Current

Loss-of-Business Resources Available

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday afternoon that their latest observations indicate a small portion of the Transocean/BP spill’s oil slick has reached the Loop Current in the form of light to very light sheens.

In the time it would take for this oil to travel to the vicinity of the Florida Straits, it would be highly weathered and both the natural process of evaporation and application of dispersants would reduce the oil volume significantly, NOAA officials said.

NOAA said the oil may get caught in a clockwise eddy in the middle of the Gulf, and not be carried to the Florida Straits at all.

Oil entrained in the Loop Current would require persistent onshore winds or an eddy on the edge of the Loop Current for it to reach the Florida shoreline. If this were to occur, the weathered and diluted oil would likely appear in isolated locations in the form of tar balls.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that tests on tar balls found Monday and Tuesday on Key West’s Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach and other areas of the Lower Keys and the Dry Tortugas were not from the Transocean/BP oil spill.

However, there was intensive news coverage and a number of news stories prematurely and erroneously concluded the tar balls were from the Gulf oil spill. Even though most media outlets have updated their news stories, calls to Keys visitor centers as well as vacation reservations cancellations increased.
Information regarding loss-of-business claims (including an online claim form) from BP and applying for federal assistance is available at http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/542307. BP’s claims hotline is 1-800-440-0858.

At its meeting Wednesday, the Monroe County Commission passed a resolution to ask Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to declare a state of emergency for Monroe County in order to qualify for federal assistance and small business loans.