Despite the dire model released Thursday by the National Center for Atmospheric Research suggesting oil from the Deep Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico could spread up the East Coast, current conditions in the gulf and the geological features of South Carolina's coast could keep the state's beaches oil-free for the short term, according to one oceanographer.

"The situation at the moment is actually favorable for South Carolina," said Sasha Yankovsky, physical oceanographer and assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, on Tuesday

Oil from the gulf will have to pass through three specific ocean current systems to reach the East Coast, he explained.

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