Tropical Depression in Western Caribbean Could Complicate Oil Spill Cleanup and Recovery

CHAUVIN, La., June 25, 2010 — -- A tropical depression now slowly moving in the western Caribbean has sparked widespread fears along the Gulf Coast about the effect it could have on the oil spill that already has devastated the region.

If a tropical storm moves toward the oil-ravaged shore, all of the recovery and containment efforts would have to be suspended. Oil-skimming boats would be called back to port, and the containment dome that's now capturing much of the escaping oil would have to be removed as workers are evacuated.

The suspension could last for two weeks.

The oil slick likely would have little effect on a potential storm, but the high winds could churn up waters and wreak havoc on sensitive marshlands and beaches by driving more oil further ashore.

"It would also generate lots of relatively large waves, which will make booms less effective even far away from the storm," Mark Bourassa, a professor at Florida State University, wrote in an email to ABC News. "It will also spread the oil over a much larger area."

If the tropical depression currently near Honduras strengthens to tropical storm status, it would be the first such system in what forecasters believe will be an active 2010 hurricane season. Forecast models show the tropical depression strengthening through the weekend.

The system, which would be called Alex if it reaches tropical storm levels, could travel anywhere from the Texas/Mexico border to the Florida panhandle and the oil spill.

"Obviously, it's going to be very negative," said Adm. Thad Allen, the head of the government's response, on the prospect of a storm.

If the containment dome has to be removed, an extra 1.5 to 2.5 million barrels of oil would shoot into the waters of the Gulf, compounding the scale of the disaster and delaying the drilling of the relief wells.

About 4,500 boats would have to be pulled out of action.

A decision to evacuate containment operations would need to be made three to seven days ahead of a major storm.

The Coast Guard is concerned enough about the tropical depression that today it sent a hurricane hunter to Honduras to measure the storm.