Oil in the ocean photooxides within hours to days, new study finds eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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IMAGE: Satellite image taken on May 9, 2010 of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico. view more
Credit: MODIS on NASA s AQUA satellite, 9 May 2010 @ 190848 UTC. Downlink and processed at the UM Rosenstiel School s Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS)
MIAMI A new study lead by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science demonstrates that under realistic environmental conditions oil drifting in the ocean after the DWH oil spill photooxidized into persistent compounds within hours to days, instead over long periods of time as was thought during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This is the first model results to support the new paradigm of photooxidation that emerged from laboratory research.