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Sometimes simple questions don't have a simple answer.
An oil spill at first is very visible because most of it is floating on the surface as a thin film. Oil is a complex mixture of many hydrocarbon compounds. The lighter hydrocarbon compounds evaporate into the atmosphere. Wave action and biological action (bacteria in the water) act to disperse and decompose the oil.
But these processes (evaporation, dispersion and decomposition) can not be expected to eliminate or make the oil disappear. Small tar like balls of oil will remain in low concentrations, and spread over a large area and well below the surface of the water for years to come.
Exactly how much oil still remains in the Gulf of Mexico is controversial. See related link for estimates.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoQuite long
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Will the ecosystem recover after the oil spill?
It could take the ecosystem years and possibly decades to recover from such an infusion of oil and gas.
How long has the BP oil spill been a problem?
The oil spill began April 20.
How long did it take to clean up the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico?
we don't know. they are still cleaning up the oil.
Why did it take so long to cap the Bp oil spill?
They tried to clean it up but it kept coming out.
How long will it take to clean the gulf coast oil spill?
30 seconds with a really big hoover
How long could it take for the oil spill to spread across the world?
About 8 months if no one did anything about it
How long has the oil spill lasted?
2010
What happen to the oil when they had the oil spill?
Most of it was eaten by algae. BP managed to recover some of it, but more than likely it was eaten by algae.
How long did the oil spill cover?
awhile O:
What do you do after an oil spill?
you take all you materials and burn them
How long does it take get oil out the sea?
It depends on the depth of the oil ' pocket; ' it will take any where from 3 months or longer. In the case of an oil spill, in most cases the oil will disperse in the water, it is nearly impossible to collect all of it. The collection method is also important, this can drastically reduce the amount of time it take to collect the oil. Most oil spill cleanups last about 2 months depending on the scale; yet the effect of the oil spill on plants and animals can last much longer 1 - 5+ years.
How long did it take to clean up Amoco Cadiz oil spill?
It is still not fully clean.
