Although beaches do scrub and clean seawater they also are being used for recreational purposes. Hence the BP Oil spill has impacted tourism. But, wait! There has been no discernable impact on the gulf coast motel business. How can this be! Aren't the beaches closed because of the oil?
Except in rare instances the beaches are open. Advisory signs are out. They range from notice of "oil on beach" to providing tips on how to use the beach while avoiding the oil caused impacts. So people are using the beach.
In fact the beaches have become a destination point for people who rarely go to the beach. So why are they coming? They are curious and want to see firsthand this ecological disaster so prominent in the news. Or, they are concerned and want to volunteer to help clean up. Hence, the motels are maintaining a normal seasonal occupancy rate. Even vendors of beach accessories (umbrellas, chairs, cabanas, etc) are doing brisk business.
The oil does stain the beaches. Hey oil is primarily carbon. Carbon is black until heated and pressurized into a sparkling diamond. For the most part the staining is an adhesion not an absorption. Meaning it will decompose over time with exposure to the sun and rain. Some communities are gathering the stained sand for remediation to shorten decomposition time.
Beaches are another of God's features to clean up pollution. When stuff floating in the water is ignored by aquatic life it is discarded onto the beach. This gives the terrestrial animals an opportunity to exploit the stuff. If still ignored it dries out. The highly oxygenated beach air circulating through the porous sand helps the stuff degrade. So it will be with the oil.
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