NOAA scientists say oil headed towards Florida Keys

Breaking: NOAA scientists say “Oil plume located off Florida’s southwest coast and heading toward the Tortugas” in the Florida Keys

NOAA forecast: Oil Boundary 50 miles from Florida Keys by June 15

Using these sophisticated tools, the team decided that the most likely pathway for oil to reach the Florida Keys was for it to be pulled into a counterclockwise rotating frontal eddy in the northeast corner of the Loop Current, and then south along the eastern frontal zone of the Loop Current to the Dry Tortugas. …

As they traveled into the eddy field they saw areas of sheen, but no tar balls.

Changing course to the south, however they found an area of strong flow convergence within a southward flowing jet that resulted from flow being pulled into the eddy. Knowing that this was just the type of oceanographic feature that would concentrate any floating material, including oil, they followed it. At about the same time a U.S. Coast Guard flight that had been sent to visually survey the area spotted what they thought could be an oil slick in the area and contacted the scientists aboard the Walton Smith to have the ship get a closer look at the slick.

“As we approached, we found an extensive oil slick that stretched about 20 nm (20 miles) along the southward flowing jet which merged with the northern front of the Loop Current. …

The combination of models and satellite images, along with our shipboard observations and ROFFS daily analysis had helped us to identify and study this previously unidentified oil plume located off Florida’s southwest coast and heading toward the Tortugas.”

source

further info

[edit on 15/6/10 by cosmicpixie]

Latest satellite image appears to confirm your OP

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d55a3a34efe4.jpg[/atsimg]

And I imagine it's just the beginning of the amount of oil that might eventually end up there.

oil spill hovers over precious Panhandle ecosystem


If oil creeping toward Northwest Florida pushes beyond the barrier island beach in the same consistency of ooze that has tarred Louisiana's delta marsh, scientists fear the impact could be felt for years, maybe decades -- and not just here in this small pocket of wetlands. The effects could potentially ripple across a complex and interconnected Gulf ecosystem that stretches hundreds of miles south into the Florida Keys

(note that in the opening article NOAA says slick headed right FOR the Keys)

Florida's Coral Reefs - 3rd largest in the world

you can't wipe coral clean..............

[edit on 15/6/10 by cosmicpixie]