Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Gulf Of Mexico, May 16, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Gulf oil spill’s effects have started showing up on the shores. The latest reports confirm that tar balls of up to 8 inches in diameter have washed up on the shores of Dauphin Islands in Alabama. Authorities showed concern when an oily pelican was found on the rocks near Sand Dollar Marina on Grand Isle. Almost twenty birds have been reported with the same problem and have been rehabilitated in Fort Jackson. Tar balls have also been reported on the banks of Belle Pass and Elmer’s Island.

The consequences of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico have worried environmentalists all over the world because of the adverse effect it has on the ocean’s flora and fauna. The Gulf oil spill occurred on the April 20, 2010 and the US and the surface area of the spill is almost 2,500 square miles. The tar balls that have washed up recently are lumps of oil concentrated into a solid form. The lumps are extremely sticky and cannot easily be moved from one place cleanly. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) has revealed in a statement that tar balls are really sticky candidates which can travel miles and as far as the tip of Florida. The entire Gulf Coast is under threat according to the NOAA.

Celebrities have also participated in the massive clean-up operation after the Gulf oil spill. recently spotted near the Louisiana bayou was Waterworld star Kevin Costner. He was seen equipped with an instrument that helps separating oil from water by using centrifugal force. The tar balls as a result of the Gulf oil spill have also adversely affected the native tribe living on the marshlands of Louisiana which relied heavily on fishing and trapping.