Although BP has projected the Gulf of Mexico will recover from last year’s oil spill by the end of next year, a University of Georgia professor says a layer of oil and dead animals at the bottom of the gulf could devastate wildlife for years to come.

The BBC reports the layer could be as much as four inches thick. Says the prof:

“Filter-feeding organisms, invertebrate worms, corals, sea fans – all of those were substantially impacted – and by impacted, I mean essentially killed. Another critical point is that detrital feeders like sea cucumbers, brittle stars that wander around the bottom, I didn’t see a living (sea cucumber) around on any of the wellhead dives. They’re typically everywhere, and we saw none.”

She says it could be a decade until the full effects of the spill are known.

Gulf spill’s effects ‘may not be seen for a decade’ [BBC via Slashdot]

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