Tar balls washing up from Moss Beach to Santa Cruz

Tar balls have washed up on several beaches from San Mateo county to Santa Cruz, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Here on the Coastside, they have been reported at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and Fitzgerald Beach.  The tar could come from a natural oil seep on the ocean floor, although none are known in this region.

The samples were sent for analysis to the Department of Fish and Game Water Pollution Control Laboratory in Rancho Cordova. There, scientists can match the tar’s chemical fingerprint to known natural oil seeps, or determine that the tar is from a boat or tanker.