Deepwater Horizon methane lingered longer than thought

Oil spill’s gas not all consumed by microbes, contrary to previous report

SPILL’S AFTEREFFECTS  Oil glistens on the Gulf of Mexico in late spring 2010, over a month after the Deepwater Horizon spill began. The photo was taken from a research vessel that scientists used to studied methane consumption by microbes in the ocean. The photo shows an area roughly 3 meters on a side.

LM Nigro

Much of the methane released by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout hung around until the end of that year.