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TagsOcean currents make pollution of coast virtually impossible
New Jersey's Atlantic beaches and fishing industry will not be affected by the Gulf oil spill this summer, but are being threatened by misinformation, state Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Monday.
Martin told the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee the leaking oil remains currently confined in the Gulf of Mexico and has not reached the Loop Current that could take it towards the tip of Florida, and north along the Atlantic Coast towards the Carolinas.
And should that happen, Martin noted, the Gulf Stream would then carry it eastward and out to sea. Martin said the oil could only reach New Jersey through a sequence of unlikely, atypical events – and even then would not reach our coast until at least late autumn.
"Our beaches are clean and our tourism industry is safe from oil throughout the summer,'' Martin said. "Our fishing and seafood industries are safe because all of the migratory fish were already here for the season before the spill occurred.
"The greatest risk the state faces right now from the Gulf oil spill is misinformation – so it's important to get the facts right,'' Martin added. "It is crucial that we make plans and decisions based on facts and science, and keep the public accurately informed in order to avoid creating issues where they may not exist.''In his testimony, Martin said the unlikely sequence of events that would be required for oil from the Gulf to reach New Jersey an eddy would have to break off from the Gulf Stream off North Carolina, which is not typical. He said even then such as eddy would have to make landfall along the coast of Massachusetts or eastern Long Island – north of New Jersey – to reach the state's coastline because the current along the New Jersey coast moves southward.
Martin said it is possible that hurricanes or severe storms could change the course of the oil, but they would also help break it up.
"If oil does come our way later in the year, it would most likely be in the form of isolated tar balls, not as slicks of the type occurring in the Gulf states,'' the commissioner said.
While it is improbable the BP oil spill will have any effect on the Jersey Shore or the state's fishing industry, the DEP is taking no chances, Martin said. In May, the DEP formed a special Gulf Spill Team to closely monitor the situation, to create a unique scientific model of the likely path of the contaminated waters, and to develop a plan of action if the oil should reach New Jersey.
"Among the most important things we can do are marshal the facts to keep the public informed, support State Office of Emergency Management efforts and counter any misinformation that could damage New Jersey's economy,'' Martin told legislators.
The DEP has set up a "Gulf Oil Spill Update'' on its web site that has New Jersey-specific information, along with links to additional resources.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Gulf Coast, the families of the 11 men who lost their lives in the oil rig explosion, and the persons who are losing their livelihoods due to what is the largest environmental disaster in history of the U.S.,'' Martin said. "But, thankfully, we do not expect any impact on New Jersey this summer.''
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
