Michael Hanlon, a writer for the Daily Mail in the U.K says the Gulf disaster will, eventually, become a footnote to history, with the oil vanishing and life returning to normal.He likens those who have expressed deep concern for the month long oil spill as "doom-mongers."
At least that's the gist of what he is saying, using time stamp events from other oil disasters around the world including Cornwalls own disaster in 1967 to make his point.
The oceans of the 1950's-70's were different oceans. The preponderance of data from today's oceans show an unhealthy trend. Many commercial fish stocks, like the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are at their lowest recorded levels and a rise in ocean acidification is putting extreme pressure on marine life worldwide.
The Atlantic Bluefin spawns in the Gulf at this time of year and these delicate fry, an entire generation of larval tuna which inhabit the same trophic layers as the Gulf oil spill and close to a million gallons of dispersant, are under threat.
Unlike other oil disasters worldwide the Gulf region is one of the most studies regions on the planet and unlike other oil disasters this one is happening at a time where the health of the oceans is better known today than it was the 1950's-70's.
The science of this disaster will be a template for other oil spills in the future. While the future of many species of marine life from Mexico to Cuba remains uncertain.
