More Oil From BP Spill Chemically Dispersed: NOAA
Date: 24-Nov-10
Country: US
Author: REUTERS
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Tuesday that more oil from the BP spill was chemically dispersed than previously estimated but it made no changes to its estimate of how much oil surged into the Gulf of Mexico and how much was captured.
The revised estimates were the first since August and were based on a system developed by federal authorities called an Oil Budget Calculator. The percentages remain based on an estimated 4.9 million barrels spilled.
NOAA said it now estimated that 16 percent of the oil spilled had been "chemically dispersed," up from its August estimate of 8 percent.
It said 13 percent was now believed to have been "naturally dispersed" versus an estimate of 16 percent in August.
It did not change its estimates for how much was directly recovered (17 percent), how much was burned off (5 percent) or how much was skimmed (3 percent).
NOAA now estimates that 23 percent evaporated or dissolved versus its previous estimate of 25 percent.
These estimates would be closely watched by markets as BP's ultimate costs may be linked to how much oil is estimated to have not been captured.
The ultimate consequences and even where the remaining oil lurks remain unclear.
"I can't emphasize enough that it (the Oil Budget Calculator) does not tell us where the oil is today or what it's final fate will be or the impact," Jane Lubchenco, administrator of NOAA, told a press conference call.
BP's mile-deep Macondo well ruptured after an oil rig exploded and sank in April, causing the world's worst offshore oil spill.
(Editing by David Gregorio)
