In another case of "so far, so good," marine scientists checking in on recently discovered coral formations in the northern Gulf of Mexico about 20 miles from the site of the BP oil spill say the corals and other delicate sea life appear healthy. In another case of "so far, so good," marine scientists checking in on recently discovered coral formations in the northern Gulf of Mexico about 20 miles from the site of the BP oil spill say the corals and other delicate sea life appear healthy, according to The Associated Press.
The coral formations were discovered just last year, months before the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in April, unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history. When scientists studied the trajectory of the oil based on currents, they worried the newly discovered corals would be affected. So far that isn't the case.
"We thought certainly that ... we would see signs of damage," Steve Ross of the Center for Marine Science at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington tells the AP. "And we're very pleased to say so far, that in these locations, we haven't seen a large scale damage to the coral habitats. We're still looking, but so far, it's good."
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