Theobservedspread of the surfaceoil in the approximately 100 dayssince theexplosionhighlights the connectivity betweenthedeep-waterareasandcoastlines of the Gulf of Mexico.
The DeepWater Horizon explosion and oil spill off the coast of Louisiana in 2010 demonstrated how little improvement in oil cleanup technology had been made since the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.