An inch or two of oily sediment lies at the bottom of the Gulf.
"And in that layer, she finds recently dead shrimp, worms and other invertebrates."
Admittedly, dead worms aren't likely to headline the national news. But they can effectively symbolize the struggle between environmental stewardship and recklessness for profit.
Joye's findings so far have found oil in depths ranging from 300 to 4,000 feet. Shallower waters, in particular, are potentially important not just for life on the bottom but for the entire marine ecosystem.
"A lot of fish go down to the bottom and eat and then come back up," Hollander says. "And if all their food sources are derived from the bottom, then indeed you could have this impact."
Figuring all that out though, will probably take many years.
continued at Daily Kos....
