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Oil Observers
Photograph by Michael Spooneybarger, AP
Gina Durell (left), Island Durell, and Linda Harrison stand at the edge of thick pools of oil on Pensacola Beach, Florida (see map), on Wednesday.
A popular stretch of sand for beachgoers was closed Thursday after oil washed ashore from the ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to the Associated Press.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist saw the mats of sticky goo firsthand Thursday, telling the Miami Herald, "It's pretty ugly. There's no question about it."
(See "Gulf Oil Spill Worst in U.S. History.")
Since the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, millions of gallons of crude have gushed into the Gulf. Some of that oil has gotten caught up in a powerful loop current that propels the oil toward Florida.
Published June 24, 2010
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Distraught Beachgoer
Photograph by Edmund D. Fountain, St. Petersburg Times/AP
Kevin Reed weeps as he looks over the oil-coated shores of Pensacola Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.
"This will never be the same," he told the Associated Press.
The popular beach became an attraction for another reason on Wednesday as many came out to see the oil, the news agency reported.
Published June 24, 2010
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Oil-Coated Crab
Photograph by Michael Spooneybarger, AP
A crab covered in oil lies dead on Pensacola Beach on Wednesday.
Birds and sea turtles have been particularly hard hit by the Gulf oil spill. As of June 23, more than 1,000 dead birds and 400 sea turtle corpses have been collected by wildlife rescuers, according to the International Bird Rescue Research Center.
(Related: "Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Birds, Fish, Crabs Coated.")
Published June 24, 2010
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Oil Cleanup
Photograph by Michael Spooneybarger, AP
A worker cleans up oil from Pensacola Beach on Wednesday.
The oil's pungent scent is so intense that beach lifeguard Collin Cobia has been wearing a red handkerchief over his nose and mouth, the Associated Press reported.
"I've been smelling it for days. It's enough to knock you down," he said.
Published June 24, 2010
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No Day at the Beach
Photograph by Michael Spooneybarger, AP
Jean Warren looks at oil darkening the shores of Pensacola Beach on Wednesday.
Heavier oil is expected to wash ashore farther east on the Florida coast in coming days, according to the Associated Press.
Published June 24, 2010
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