(CNN)--a "shadow" of oil from leaking deep-sea food chain is on the Horizon of the Gulf of Mexico, have scientists against Alabama Dauphin Island Sea Lab. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.
"Signatures" oil carbon appeared in zooplankton, animals such as fish larvae and microscopic crustaceans which form the basis of the food chain, said Dr. Monty Graham, lead author of a study published this week.
Plankton consumed by other bodies, such as crabs, mussels, oysters and shrimp, which in turn consumed by humans and other species.
On 20 April, an explosion on board the deep-sea drilling rig killed 11 Horizon employees and resulted in the worst oil spill on the history of the United States.The gushing had foundations the rig released more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf; After the good has been sealed, Government and independent scientists concluded as 50 percent of this amount had already spread both by physical or chemical means.
Graham has a huge amount of anxiety that stays with people about where he has gone the oil, "he said. "People have a hard time connecting the dots between all the oil that was released in the Gulf and the fact that you can't really see any oil we wanted to start more. procedure of accounting which is happening all this oil."
Scientists have tracked a specific carbon isotope identified with oil and found appeared in zooplankton. the study concludes that oil was consumed by germs, or oil-eating bacteria, consumed by micro plankton food Web.
These results weren't surprised, Graham said."We expected early germs you'll get a hold of oil and consume relatively quickly.
"What we found was that the system works.This does not mean everything is okay, and that does not mean that there is nothing out there that are not toxic. Just explains that the ecosystem has worked with the processing of this oil as food. "
Olive oil was treated as "fuel" to grow and reproduce, Graham said."It's all biomass conversion; If eating a cow ate grass, not eating grass. I eat what you are converted into biomass cow."
Carbon is the element that forms the backbone of all forms of life, so that the evidence of coal oil of zooplankton does not necessarily mean that the food chain, Graham explains.
"But this show how elements oil can make their way to higher food Web," he said. "The fact that carbon did receive higher up the food chain shows there is a. ..connection between the bacteria and the food chain. "
Graham pointed out sampling extensive studies currently being done by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the food and drug administration.
Study of Graham published Monday in the scientific journal Environmental Research letters.
Last week, NOAA said that outside the 1,735 tests on different types of seafood Gulf 13 found test positive for trace amounts of Corexit dispersant, a chemical used to break-up of oil during the height of the crisis, the FDA said it is determined that the amount of dispersant was so low that it would be harmful to humans, and that the Gulf seafood sold in the markets is safe.
Only about 4 percent of federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico fisheries remain closed because of oil.
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