Gulf's coastal wetlands surviving despite oil

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"From a seaplane 1,000 feet above Louisiana's coastal wetlands, the places hit hardest by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are easy to spot - dark slashes marring a vast expanse of marshes and bayous.

Yet more than two months after the spill started, the view appears to confirm what many scientists are concluding: The wetlands, a haven for fish and seabirds and a flood buffer during the Gulf's notoriously vicious storms, "have come through so far pretty unscathed," Paul Kemp, director of the National Audubon Society's Louisiana Coastal Initiative, said after a recent 260-mile flight over most of the affected sections.

Damage has been severe in some locations, especially in reedy swamps near the mouth of the Mississippi River. But it's spotty and confined mostly to outer fringes of islands topped with marsh grasses and mangrove bushes. Little oil has advanced more than a few yards toward the interior, despite the many openings created by a labyrinth of natural bayous and man-made canals.

"There may be a few areas where the oil has penetrated deeper into the marsh, but I have not seen them yet," said Irving Mendelssohn, a Louisiana State University coastal plant ecologist.

Favorable wind and tidal patterns, plus Mississippi River currents countering the oily flow from the Gulf, have spared the wetlands the worst of the oil, experts say."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/29/1706694/gulfs-coastal-wetlands-surviving.html#ixzz0sGiOAypf

[RockaFowler]

1. This is good news

[Liberation Angel]

2. So far....

But it is subject to change depending on conditions.

This is a tiny bit of not so horrific news: for now some of the oil hasn't penetrated too far in some places.

But only time will tell what will happen....

[BrklynLiberal]

12. EXACTLY!

[Generic Other]

3. Is this the glass is half full of water report?

Sure sounds overly optimistic to me. How many days into the stuff reaching shore are they? How many more days of new fresh stuff is coming? I think they are heaving a premature sigh of relief at best.

Hope the Mississippi keeps countering the flow though. Seems like the first break they have gotten so far!

[Ganja Ninja]

4. So everything looks OK flying over them at 1000 ft.

I'm sure they smell better from there too. :eyes:

[tabatha]

5. So basically wetlands are saving wetlands

The wetlands on the edge are taking the hit and saving the wetlands further removed.

[xultar]

6. +1

[Alcibiades]

7. It's not as if they have weather to worry about

Yet. It's not as if this will be cleaned up before a tropical storm or hurricane hits the Gulf. Hopefully, Alex will be the last one, but I doubt it.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Alex is merely the FIRST one...

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Wait until a haflway decent storm hits.

Reporters will be re-learning what a tidal surge is all about.

[thereismore]

15. that could foul up all of the wetlands in one splat of storm surge. There is nothing we can do. nt

[Edweird]

9. I think it's a little early in the game.....

[Karenina]

11. I'm CERTAIN it is. But everyone needs a hobby.

[SidDithers]

10. K&R...

:thumbsup:

Sid

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Not sure everyone would agree with this optimistic view..

"Please spread... I want to piss off the world.". HQ Gulf flyover,6/21/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxDf-KkMCKQ&sns=em

"This was the most emotionally disturbing video I have ever done!
A flight over the BP Slick Source where I saw at least 100 Dolphins in the oil, some dying. I also photographed a Sperm Whale covered in oil all around it's blow hole.
Please spread this around the world. Send me any links to places it gets posted so I can follow.
I want to piss off the world. Who will answer for these gentle creatures? "

http://bpoilslick.blogspot.com/

[Javaman]

16. there was a guy on Rachel Maddow talking about this about 1 1/2 months ago...

He said, initially there will be a bounce back of the wetlands, but it will be temporary.

He stated that this time next year, the wetlands will be in really bad shape.

We will see. I will keep my fingers crossed.