It is possible there will be dead zones in the Gulf 10 miles long and 1 mile wide. This is getting really sad and ugly.
BBC News says:
The find suggests the scale of the potential environmental disaster is much worse than previously feared since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up on 20 April, killing 11 workers.
The find suggests the scale of the potential environmental disaster is much worse than previously feared since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up on 20 April, killing 11 workers.
 |  We've never seen anything like this before - it's impossible to fathom the impact  Professor Samantha Joye University of Georgia  |
Samantha Joye, a marine science professor at the University of Georgia, said: "It could take years, possibly decades, for the system to recover from an infusion of this quantity of oil and gas.
"We've never seen anything like this before. It's impossible to fathom the impact."
The experts say the oxygen depletion is likely to continue, endangering sea life and raising the prospect of underwater dead zones.
The scientists said the chemical dispersants BP has been dumping underwater may be preventing the oil from rising to the top of the ocean.
Official estimates doubted
The oil giant has said the chemicals, which it began deploying on Friday, have already resulted in less oil surfacing.
BP's battle with oil leak continues
Some scientists cast doubt on official estimates of the oil flow rate, saying the widely repeated figure of 5,000 barrels per day dramatically understates the real amount.
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