Since the BP oil drilling disaster began over two months ago, the first thing I do on many mornings is check the oil sheen tracking maps to see what part of our beautiful region is likely to be in the crosshairs. These trajectory maps only reflect the areas likely to see oil on any given day, rather than an overall outlook of what areas have already been oiled. On many days, there are only a few red-X’s along the coastline to mark areas of potential landfill. However, the daily tracking map today looks more like a map of cumulative impacts and then some – with a nearly solid red line along the coast from Terrebonne Bay in Louisiana to Mississippi’s barrier islands to coastal Alabama and Pensacola, Florida. Even worse, the three day projection map (on the right) shows landfalls expanding further to the east and west, and reaching the mainland in Mississippi. If these projections hold up, this kind of sustained and geographically wide area of oil along our shores would be unprecedented. Raleigh Hoke is GRN’s Mississippi Organizer
