Lots of oil in the ocean, finger printing crude is usually fairly easy to do as well. Any reports of rafts of tar balls off the Keys or new reports of tar balls on the beach? Seems like it is a matter of time but a lot depends on what quantity makes it into the Straits along, consistency of it and local weather conditions.
and
"Loop Current might swing west, lessen Keys oil threat
With Monroe County newly added to Florida's list of areas under a state of emergency because of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Florida Keys residents can do little but watch the meandering of the Loop Current.
But some good news: Oceanography researchers at the University of South Florida told the Tampa Tribune Friday that the Loop Current that would carry oil or tar down to the Keys could be shifting to the west, which could potentially direct the spill away from the Keys. Chuamin Hu, a UCF oceanography associate professor, called the perceived shift "absolutely good news for the Florida Keys. But that's not a 100 percent certainty. It's a possibility."
Earlier this week, experts concluded that some oil from the month-old spill had entered the Loop Current, which normally circulates through the Gulf of Mexico. The current tends to carry gulf water down the state's west coast to the Florida Straits, which run eastward past the Florida Keys. A "tendril" of oil apparently had become caught in the outer bands of the current, which means some oil could reach Keys waters in days. Tar balls were found at seven locations in the Lower Keys Monday and Tuesday -- and since then some have been found as north as Islamorada -- but tests conducted at a U.S. Coast Guard laboratory concluded the chemical makeup of the Lower Keys balls proves they are not from the Deepwater Horizon spill. Information on the ones found in Islamorada wasn't available. However, tar balls similar to those could be the most visible sign of the spilled oil reaching the Keys, officials acknowledged.
Some businesses have reported cancellations. The Key West Chamber of Commerce launched a survey on Friday asking how the spill has affected local businesses. The "Deepwater Horizon oil spill has created uncertainty in the minds of potential visitors," the chamber says. Islamorada offshore charter captain Larry Wren said one customer canceled his booked motel for a July trip and changed his fishing reservation "from a definite to a maybe," depending on the spill situation.
"Another customer called to ask if we were still going out" Friday, Wren said. "I told him everything is fine." "There is definite worry about there" on local fishing docks, Wren said. "We were already impacted this year by the economy, and now this comes along. It's craziness.""
Complete article at:
http://www.keysnet.com/2010/05/22/22...wing-west.html