With over six months having passed since BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, tragically taking the lives of 11 men and leading to an estimated 205 million gallons or more spewing into the ocean and onto nearby coasts, it would seem that much of the mainstream media has moved on from the plight caused by America's worst environmental disaster in history.
Although BP plugged the well and it was declared "effectively dead" in mid-September, even having scaled back their clean-up efforts prior to that, the catastrophe is far from over for the Gulf residents impacted from the spill and the natural environment likewise devastated in the aftermath.
Recent reports that surfaced alongside images of dark streaks in Gulf waters have been discounted by some scientists as a common algae outbreak, The New York Times reports. But they also report that -- despite 11,000 people still at work cleaning up the crude mess -- delicate marshlands remain coated and tarballs continue to wash up on beaches that have been previously cleaned. Additionally, a CNN reporter recently discovered that thick layers of tar linger underneath the sand, well below the level at which beaches are being cleaned.
Below are new photos from the Gulf of Mexico -- some as recent as last Friday -- confirming that BP's disaster is far from cleaned up. Although the media may have moved on, things aren't so easy for the Gulf residents and wildlife adversely affected as oil continues to wash ashore for an unforeseeable time to come.
