Sheens, Tar Balls And Mousse Not Always From Oil

By Bill Mahan
Director of the Franklin UF-IFAS Extension Program

As a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill anyone out boating in the Gulf of Mexico region or walking the beach is keeping an eye out for oil. In most cases the person reports their “oil” sighting to the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with information on the date, time, place and what they saw. This is exactly what you should do if you see something you believe is related to the oil spill. Once the EOC receives a report of oil sheen, tar balls, chocolate mousse, etc., the EOC will notify the State EOC and depending on the location of the report, a boat, plane or Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) team will be sent to the site to confirm, or deny the presence of any oil.

The reporting system is in place, to help cut down on the number of “rumors” floating around about the oil sightings. Where the system seems to be leaking, is that people reporting a possible sighting and/or the press aren’t waiting for confirmation of the sighting. Instead, they react to hearing the original sighting report, or that a boat, plane, or SCAT Team has been sent to investigate the report. The result has been a lot of unnecessary panic and rumors.

So far in Franklin County, there have been 19 State Watch and 81 Recon Reports of “BP oil spill product” reported in the County. Each of these reports has been investigated and to date, none have been confirmed as related to the BP oil spill. In fact, many of the sighting reports turned out to be the result of natural biological activities caused by Mother Nature herself.

So people need to realize that not all sheens on the water, dark spots/blobs on the beache and foamy/frothy material floating around in the water are caused by oil. In fact, Mother Nature produces these oil look-a-likes all the time. This is especially true during this time of the year.

So, let’s take a look at Mother Nature’s look-a-like oil spill products:

Oily Sheen on the Water’s Surface: A silvery or rainbow colored sheen on the water surface may be related to a petroleum product, however, it may also be related to natural biological sources such as the presence of iron, decomposition of organic matter, or the presence of certain bacteria.

Naturally occurring sheens are usually silver or relatively dull in color that breaks up into small patches of sheen when disturbed. Petroleum sheens on the other hand tend to be shiny, rainbow-colored and if disturbed, the oil patches will come back together.

Tar Balls: A general description of a tar ball is weathered oil that has formed a pliable ball. They vary in size from a pinhead to about a foot across. Sheen may, or may not be present around them.

At this time, we have had a number of confirmed tar ball reports in the Florida Panhandle Region from Bay to Escambia County. However, before real tar balls were coming ashore, initial tar ball reports in Destin were identified as skate egg cases. Also pieces of peat and small sea cucumbers have been called in as possible tar balls.

Foam Lines/Mousse: Oil, or sheen oriented in lines or streaks out on the water can easily be confused with algal/vegetative scum collected in tidal convergence lines. Sometimes called streaks, stringers or fingers, they are commonly found floating in near and offshore Gulf waters. They are usually just a collection of seagrasses, Sargassum/seaweeds and protein scum/foam moving with the tides and wind.

Dark, Oil-like Patches of Sand on the Beach: Several reports of black oil-like patches on the beach have been reported in Franklin County. When investigated, the dark patches of sand were found to be caused by ‘June Grass’ clumps of sea grass or several different types of algae that wash up on our beaches in June and other times of the year. These algae and sea grass, as they are moved back and forth by the wave action in the intertidal zone, break up into small dark pieces and can leave behind an area of dark-colored stained sand.

Other Sightings/Rumors: In early May, in the Destin area, a common rumor making the rounds was that sharp glassy fragments washing up on local beaches were fiberglass remains of the booms used to collect the oil out in the Gulf. When investigated, the fragments were the exoskeletons of an animal called a pterpod. Commonly called sea butterflies, these marine snails shed their exoskeleton when they die. The pointed part of the shell can prick people’s feet if they step on them. However, they pose no threat to people.

So, what should you do if you see something that might be related to the oil spill? By all means please report it to the nearest EOC. Provide them with as much information as possible about when, where and what you saw. Then sit back and wait to hear if your sighting is confirmed as oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill or it is something else. Until you receive confirmation, the last thing you need to do is spread a rumor either verbally or via a social network, like Facebook or Twitter. There is absolutely no sense in spreading a rumor around and getting people upset or worried.

Here are some numbers to call; the Franklin County EOC Hotline is 850-653-4206. Or call the FL Reporting hotline at 1-877-272-8335.

(Bill Mahan is a FL Sea Grant Agent and the Director of the Franklin UF-IFAS Extension Program. Contact him at (850) 653-9337, 697-2112 x 360; or via e-mail at bmahan@ufl.edu.)