Disaster in Santa Barbara
Here are some aerial photographs of the Refugio oil spill by Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara, California. You can see that the lighter oil has a light, white sheen to it as it floats on the water. The heavier oil is darker and more visible; you can see it covering the kelp and rocks close to shore. The ships are trying to corral and absorb the oil off the coast, while the clean up crew, in protective clothes, cleans the beaches by hand. I hope the destruction to the marine life isn't as devastating as they're anticipating.
See more photos here
A small boat pulls an absorptive boom, trying to remove as much surface oil before it can get to shore