Potential ‘missing oil’ from Deepwater Horizon spill found

Scientists have located as much as 10 million gallons of the missing oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, according to an article from Live Science.

To locate the oil, the Florida State University research team took 62 sediment samples near the oil spill site. The samples were tested for the presence of carbon-14, an isotope typically present in ocean sediment not in oil damaged areas. The team mapped the affected areas.

How the oil reached the bottom of the Gulf is uncertain. One speculation is that marine microorganisms ingested the oil and their excretions sank to the bottom. At any rate, the oil poses a threat to marine animals and their environment.

Top image: A satellite image of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (Credit: NASA)