Two days after a ruptured oil pipeline spewed crude into the waters off of California — tainting 9 miles of ocean teeming with coastal creatures — environmentalists are scrambling to assess how mucked up the ecosystem is.
This much is clear: It could be weeks before the beach near Santa Barbara is cleaned up, and even years before the damage to the water and wildlife is realized, scientists say.
See a Massive Oil Slick in the Pacific Ocean After Spill
An oil slick is seen along the coast of Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015.Lucy Nicholson—ReutersAn oil slick washes up on a beach along the coast of Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015.Lucy Nicholson—ReutersWorkers clean up an oil leak that caused a slick in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—ReutersA man watches an oil slick wash up on a beach along the coast of Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—ReutersOil covers a local resident's boot at Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015. Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty ImagesSpilled oil covers the coast at Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015.David McNew—Getty ImagesAn oil slick is seen along the coast of Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—ReutersAn oil slick is seen along the coast of Refugio State Beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015. Lucy Nicholson—ReutersOfficials walk along an the oil-covered beach in Goleta, Calif. on May 19, 2015.David McNew—Getty Images