In this video from ABC News, University of Georgia professor Samantha Joye is leading a team of scientists to investigate how much oily material is left on the ocean floor and what the effect is on the surrounding area. The team is using the submarine Alvin, the same submarine used to investigate the wreckage of the Titanic.
Despite the government's estimate that less than 25 percent of the oil remains, scientists attest that it is not all gone, but rather settled at the bottom of the ocean. Joye states that she saw about three to four inches of material on the ocean floor. On top of this, scientists believe that the spill has caused the deaths of all marine life for 80-square miles on the sea floor. Despite these findings, BP is challenging the government's oil spill estimates, claiming they are too large by as much as 50 percent in an effort to lower the fines they face.
Joye tells ABC that it will take years, perhaps even decades, to fully heal from the devastation.
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