Tenacious Oil

This article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/us/03spill.html?ref=science

    How long will the fiasco over the BP oil spill last? More than half a year after the oil began to flow from the drilling vessel into the Gulf of Mexico, thousands of workers are still out there, on the water and along the coastlines, cleaning up the mess. The spill has profoundly disrupted tourism and fishing industries in the Gulf, and the oil continues to impact the lives of local residents. This article is about the suspicious brown streaks in the open water near the Mississippi—locals are convinced they’re streaks of oil, but scientists say it’s algae.

    However, that’s not what the entire article is about, and rightly so. The writers use that particular story to quickly launch into a discussion of the state of the oil spill as it is now, in early November: the sixth paragraph begins, “The cleanup of the worst offshore oil spill in US history continues here on the Gulf Coast, as does some of the contentiousness of the panic-plagued summer.” The story then examines the current work being done, the progress, what’s left to do, and overall provides an engaging and concise update on the situation. Then it ventures into one of the main concerns: the possibility of “significant population declines” as a result of the spill. As many science articles do, this one ends with questions (and fears) that still need answers, leaving the reader both informed and absorbed.