[Wonder Warthog]

"The concensus keeps rising - as more if found beneath the surface. A third large plume was found yesterday - six miles wide from the surface down to the floor."

No, actually it doesn't.

Look, the sum of all the plumes has to add up to the total flow out of the wellhead. This is simple arithmetic. It doesn't matter how many plumes they locate. The total emitted amount hydrocarbons is known from the well flow.

BP and the Coast Guard have data on how the gas/oil ratio has changed with time, and are in the best position to calculate the total amount of hydrocarbons that have been spilled. Nobody else has this data (yet).

[D-fendr]

The total emitted amount hydrocarbons is known from the well flow.

No, it's not. It's been emphasized over and over again, they don't know.