1 DR. BUTMAN: That's right, but I think it is a safer scenario. 



2 DR. TEAL: Then how about a different scenario? How about looking 



3 at a rig that is in an area that has fine sediments? There have been 



4 rig monitorings done in areas with fine sediments. 



5 DR. BUTMAN: On resuspending sediments. 



6 DR. RAY: One of the examples, when we were talking a few minutes 



7 ago, as far as the distribution of these other metals, we found it very 



8 interesting in shallow water as compared to deep water, less than 100 



9 feet versus about 300 feet. 



10 When we took a look at our key tracers, especially the barium, 



11 there was a factor of about 10 more of the barium in the near zone, in 



12 the immediate area around the rig than there was in shallow water, and 



13 it was because of resuspension of transport and the depth of the water 



14 column. 



15 You get out into deeper water and that elevation of barium 



16 goes--you know, let's take within a 1,000-meter radius or something, 



17 there is a factor of about 10 more of the barium within that zone; 



18 because of the resuspension transport, there is less going on out there. 



19 There is not the wave action, so it is there. 



20 Even in a case of a quieter environment, where you have more 



21 material settled down and stay in the area, when you look at the other 



22 metals outside of barium, you don't have to go more than a couple 



23 hundred meters from the platform and pretty soon, you are back down to 



24 ambient levels. You cannot measure those above background for the 



25 different trace metals that we are dealing with. 



26 DR. GRASSLE: When you say deep water, how deep? 



27 DR. RAY: That was right around 300. It's a little bit shallower 



28 than-- 



29 DR. GRASSLE: In the Gulf? 



30 DR. RAY: In the Gulf, yes. I guess the key thing in this 



31 discussion we are having is that, you know, if these materials get to 



32 the bottom and then go through the normal dispersement process on the 



33 bottom into the canyon as the fine materials, once that stuff is on the 



291 



