Satellite image of the BP oil spill on June 26, 2010 NASA
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) who estimated the size of the oil spill in spring 2010 have been caught in the cross fire as U.S. courts try to decide exactly how much to fine BP for the resulting environmental damage, causing many to express concern over academic freedoms. The presiding judge magistrate granted BP's request to access the private information.
The two researchers involved, Christopher Reddy and Richard Camilli, published an op-ed yesterday in the Boston Globe, in which they explained their concerns.
“Incomplete thoughts and half-finished documents attached to e-mails can be taken out of context and impugned by people who have a motive for discrediting the findings,” they wrote.
Reddy and Camilli said they had already provided BP with over ...
