http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/excerptfrom2003report.pdf National Academy of Sciences Report: Deep water oil spill causes plumes of oil below the ocean surface. While working on the Delphi sequence in Book 3, I've been captivated by the scientific battle behind the scenes regarding the "truth" of the deep water oil spill. It is a defining moment of our era. In it we see ourselves and how we can manage to bungle our relationship to the world and nature.