Professor Warns of Oil Spill’s Danger

When Annalisa Bracco first heard about the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, she thought it would be cleaned up quickly.

But now the oceanography faculty member at Tech is worried she’ll have to update a planned monthlong class research cruise in the gulf in the fall. “We’ll have to research biology and oil,” she said.

Bracco, an Italian native, watched news of the spill closely. When it was announced that the spill, which was caused by the sinking of an offshore BP rig, had worsened to releasing 5,000 barrels a day into the Gulf, Bracco thought, “That’s a big number.”

Through charting the wind movements, Bracco estimated the leak would affect the coastlines of Mississippi, Louisiana and possibly Texas. That would wreak havoc on birds, shrimp, oysters, fish and even whales, she said.

“For the whales, it clogs their internal filters,” she said. “Once it reaches the coast, the impact on the ecosystem is going to be big.”

Bracco said fisheries likely would be closed for months. Despite the ecological danger, she said she still doesn’t oppose offshore drilling. She just expected it to be safer.

“I think even the oil company was surprised,” she said. “It would be interesting to see why it didn’t work. There should be more systems that will be more secure.”

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