Don't be fooled by the news media.  To thing that the oil in the amount of 4 times the Exxon Valdez spill has just magically disappeared is crazy.  Oil is not blanketing the Gulf--thankfully-- but to think that that much oil simply disappears doesn't make any sense.  Hopefully eventually mother nature will ultimately take care of it, but until we know much more information, there is no way to tell the long term effect of this tragedy.