Quick Fact

Hundreds of pounds of tar balls and a large tar mat have washed ashore in Louisiana and Arkansas in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac prompting officials to close miles of beaches and restrict fishing along an area of the Gulf Coast there. Tests run by Louisiana State University have confirmed that the oil matches the biological fingerprint of the oil that washed up from the huge BP Deep Horizon explosion in 2010. Testing shows that the oil has not degraded much which means it is resting in shallow trenches and not moving or dispersing. Joel Hayworth, researcher at Auburn University where further analysis is being done, said “We’re in year three and this seems to be the new normal for the Gulf Coast. For some unforeseeable time, this is going to be the new normal for the beach”. BP said some of the oil may not be from their well, but they say they will clean up this new mess.