But after two months, what's happening with the diffused clouds drifting beneath the floating goo, sticky tar balls and shimmering surface still remains murky. It could take several more months for the federal agency in charge of assessing spill damage to simply get a good grasp of how much oil remains drifting below.

During a stop in Miami, Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - criticized by some scientists for being slow to jump into the Gulf disaster - said federal assessment efforts were making significant headway. But she also acknowledged the Gulf spill, unprecedented in both volume and complexity, had strained the agency's resources and technology.

Read the complete story at The Bellingham Herald.