A newly discovered type of oil-eating bacteria may be nature's own solution to cleaning up the giant BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. That's good new because just a few days ago scientists released a report showing that an oil plume the size of Manhattan is still lurking about 3000 feet below the surface of the water.
According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's findings there is "a great potential for bacteria to help dispose of oil plumes in the deep-sea." And here's more good news: not only does the ocean bacteria help to bio-degrade crude oil in deep, cold water... it does so without lowering the oxygen levels in the water.
That means that it probably won't create large "dead zones" of low-oxygen seawater, a problem that already exists in the Gulf.
Learn some mo': 'Opportunistic' Bacteria Feasting Slowly on Underwater Oil in Gulf
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