The COSMO-SkyMed radar image taken yesterday is somewhat ominous – it shows nearly all of the slick from the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and at 4,922 square miles (12,748 km2) it’s significantly larger than it appeared on May 13:

And we think we’ve discovered an unrelated leak from a nearby platform that was installed back in 1984. The MMS ID# for this platform is 23051 (look it up here). A small, dark slick appears next to this platform on radar satellite images from April 26, May 8, and May 13 as well as this May 14 image.

It’s not a major leak but it may indicate a chronic problem. Somebody should check that out to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.