| Popis: |
The Mexican Ixtoc oil well blew out on 3 June, 1979. Since then more than 3.5 × 10 5 tonnes of crude oil have entered the Gulf of Mexico. This is probably the largest oil spill in the world's history. Two months later (7 August, 1979), the spilled oil began moving to the Texas coastal waters and the well is not yet capped. Although laboratory tests showed that the aged oil was not acutely toxic to some marine invertebrates, further work needs to be conducted to determine its possible chronic effects on sensitive ecosystems such as the Laguna Madre. |
