On July 24, 2010, the administrator of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Jane Lubchenco, provided a briefing about the anticipated impact of Tropical Storm Bonnie on the Deepwater Horizon oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Bonnie was expected to help dissipate and weather the oil on the sea surface, spreading out the slick, lowering surface concentrations, and making the oil more amenable to biodegradation. On July 28, 2010, after Bonnie had passed through the region, NOAA reported less oil observed on Gulf of Mexico overflights.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on July 28, 2010. Around the location of the oil leak, and around the Mississippi Delta, relatively light swirls and patches appear on the ocean surface. These areas might be oil slicks, although other factors could affect the water’s ability to reflect sunlight, especially near the shore. If these pale-hued sheens are oil-slicked areas, they contain very little recoverable oil, according to NOAA.
In the months since the Deepwater Horizon accident, the Earth Observatory has been able to show oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico only under certain conditions, namely clear skies and the right angle of sunlight. To learn more about our oil slick images, including why we haven’t been able to show the oil every day, please visit our Gulf of Mexico Oil Slick Images: Frequently Asked Questions feature.

  1. Related Resources
  2. RestoreTheGulf.gov is the official federal portal for the Deepwater BP oil spill response and recovery.
  3. Current information about the extent of the oil slick is available from the Office of Response and Restoration at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration.
  4. Information about the impact of the oil slick on wildlife is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Michon Scott.
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