Duke Univ. biologist says oil spill could sweep up the East Coast if not contained in the Gulf

Experts fear the spill could spread to East Coast

GULFPORT, Miss. — Scientists fear if the oil spill isn’t contained and the underwater well continues to spew unstopped, it could grow so large that it may be sucked with the currents around the Florida Keys and up the East Coast.

Duke University biologist Larry Crowder said Saturday if that happens, the scope of the disaster would not only affect the gulf states but portions of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

The gulf’s waters come through the Yucatan Strait between Mexico and Cuba, then circulate in what’s called the Loop Current, before sweeping south along Florida’s west coast. It then moves up the East Coast before ending in the North Atlantic.

Satellite images show the surface area of the gulf oil spill has nearly tripled in size in just a day.