When oil spills threaten ocean and coastal environments, several techniques are employed to mitigate the damage. One of them is a chemical dispersant, a liquid typically dropped by a plane flying over the slick's surface. The chemical breaks down oil into finer droplets that disperse through the water like smoke in the air, and are then carried away by ocean currents.
But according to an article in the New York Times this morning, officials have been experimenting with using dispersants at the source of the problem, thousands of feet underwater where oil is gushing into the Atlantic from the well head.
Two tests have shown that the chemicals cause the oil to disperse before it reaches the surface. That could reduce the impact of the oil on fishing and of it reaching the shoreline and harming wildlife.
Credit: Aaron Graubar/Getty Images
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