BP Oil spill to join the July 4th celebration at Miami Beach

The BP oil spill, carried by the Gulf Stream, will pass by Miami Beach during the July 4th weekend at about 60 miles east of the coast. This will be the first time the beginning of the oil slick will be carried in the slipstream of the loop current at about 100 miles per day.

Computer models and simulations place the beginning of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in the southern Florida vicinity and right around the Miami location during the national holiday weekend.

• Oil spill moves East

The more or less diluted oil spill will move about 60 to 70 miles east of the closest beaches and should not be a real threat to any tourism industry nor should it disrupt any celebration.

Scientists expect that some small tar deposits may wash on shore but should not be reason for concern. Beach communities along the Eastern seaboard have formed emergency teams that are on standby to clean up any tar deposits in a speedy and professional way.

Beach closures along the shore and barrier islands are not expected nor should the public panic about any residual, which is considered normal and expected.

How long the Gulf Stream will carry the oil spill in its wake up north to Cape Hatteras, NC is anybody’s guess, but it could be several weeks or maybe months.

The riser pipe at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico continues to spew 20,000 barrels of crude per day even with the partial cap and a final and permanent solution is not in sight. BP will attempt to activate two relief wells in mid August to redirect some of the oil to surface tankers for processing and storage.

Deep sea fishing off the eastern seaboard would not be recommended unless such occurs well within the 50 mile distance off shore so as not to disturb the natural flow of the Gulf Stream.

The first harbor that might be at risk is Savannah, GA, whose shipping lanes run straight through the northern current and adjacent to Tybee Island. City council of the small beach community has already established an emergency team should any tar residue reach the beach line.

The Gulf Stream will carry the oil spill into the Atlantic Ocean and will move it into an eastern direction once it makes a sharp right turn at or around the North Carolina coast. The more northern states and beach resorts are not expected to be impacted by the BP oil spill at this time.

Written by Nick Doms © 2010, all rights reserved

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