I have recently come across a type of oil containment system that looks to have been viewed as promising by USCG and industry at one time and may offer great promise in containing the spill at the source and/or protecting shorelines. It is known as pneumatic oil containment. It offers rapidly deployable, somewhat effective spill control even in waters that are influenced by wave and current action. I have seen no mention of it's use in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. I urge you to forward this information to anyone who might be effective in it's utilization to protect the environment in the region.

Here are good descriptions of pneumatic oil containment although the translations are not necessarily perfect:

http://www.agoberlin.de/hydroair/gew_anl_schutz/ago_gwa002_e.html

and

http://www.hydrotechnik-luebeck.de/html/pneumatic_bubble_barriers.php?gclid=CO2nyIXq96ECFRMeDQodVBy5EA

and

http://www.environment.german-pavilion.com/content/english/exhibitors/exhibitors_result.php?exhibitor_id=16464

In depth analysis can be found here:

http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/Environmental/boom.html

and

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=AD719278&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

and

http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?127508