An oil slick seen at Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara County. Large oil slicks appeared in the Montecito and Santa Barbara area, but experts aren’t sure where they came from.

New video shows a large oil slick, potentially 200 feet long, approaching a popular beach in the wealthy town of Montecito, according to researchers investigating ocean pollution. 

Harry Rabin, a field producer for the nonprofit Heal the Ocean, said they have seen multiple large oil slicks in recent days, with the first reported about 15 miles to the north near UC Santa Barbara last month.

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“The wind and currents are taking it exactly where we’re seeing it, from that area all the way down to Butterfly Beach,” he told SFGATE. Rabin is part of a team at the nonprofit investigating the spread of oil in the area.

Rabin said the amount of oil seen this week near the popular beaches appeared higher than normal to him and “they hadn’t seen that much oil blanket area in over 30 years”........

© SFGate