Here is my best guess on the cusp shaped POL spill mapped by the satellite at T+30 hours.
First, it would be incredible that AF447 would not leave behind a POL mark on the surface. The image is close enough to the track, and the scan encompasses enough area to almost rule out any other spills as being derived from AF447. Note:
This post continues below the first picture.
This image has a heavy deposit which appears to have moved SSW from the apex and which curves a bit. My interpretation of this is that the wind has carried some of the spill from its initial position and the curvature represents the effects of wind direction changes. The thinner branch of the spill which points SE is more interesting though. This branch probably represents fuel released from the wreckage after its arrival on the bottom. The ocean currents appear to be from the SE and are pushing the initial spill to the NW.Looking at the SE branch, the North side is relatively straight, the South side also shows the effect of wind pushing some of the POL to the SSW and so is a bit "blobby."
In an effort to establish what a spill from deep underwater might look like, I found some information on the DeepSpill sea trial carried out in the Norwegian Sea at the Helland Hansen location in June 2000. During this trial, various types of Petroleum products were released from a test platform on the bottom. The SLAR image below is from that sea trial. Can you see the similarity with the SE leg of the cusp in the first image? The Sea Trial report is somewhat lengthy. The current directiion and wind direction so derived from this spill's motion may conflict with official data but the official data is highly suspect in my mind.
