But back in the Gulf of Mexico, the connector pipe to the sunken drilling platform, called a “riser”, which formerly conducted oil from the sea bottom to the floating platform continues to gusher crude as it snakes over the ocean bottom like a spouting garden hose. My wife questioned how a rigid steel pipe could "snake" around down there. But recall this pipe is close to a mile long! The explosion and subsequent disturbances have caused several kinks and tears to form from which oil is leaking in these several places over its 5000 foot length. The oil lighter than water rises to the surface and has continued to spread like the proverbial molasses on grandma’s white table cloth. The Times article also reveals today new information---the rate of flow from the pipe is five times greater than first reported!
According to the Times Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry of the Coast Guard revealed yesterday that scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have concluded that oil is gushing out at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day, not the 1,000 that had been estimated earlier. That volume is equal to 210,000 gallons a day (based on a 42 gal barrel) or almost 9,000 gallons a minute (or in metric terms 160 liters per barrel x 5000 = 80,000 liters/day). That amount is only a tiny fraction of the 21,000,000 barrels a day we use here in the USA, so the spill will cause no shortage for us. But at about $80 dollars a barrel (today’s prices) it represents a waste of $400,000 bucks a day for the BP oil company. However the real concern is not its cost or the wasted oil (though considerable) but the tragedy of lost lives, and the specter of the grave pollution effects. Where will the black pudding-like, stuff so toxic to fish, shellfish and marine mammals end up? Will it smear the white-sand beaches of Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida Gulf coasts, clog the fish and shellfish-producing marshes of Louisiana, and of Texas?
On April 26, 2010 Sky Truth (See http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/04/gulf-oil-spill-covers-817-square-miles.html.) using NASA imagery estimated that the spill covered an area of about 817 square miles. They report that the spill has an irregular serpentine shape and is surrounded by an "oil sheen" where oil and water are in intimate contact. An April 27th update of the image shows, according to Sky Truth that the spill has approximately doubled in area over the two days it was observed.
The NY Times reports that wind patterns may push the spill into the coast of Louisiana as soon as Friday night, prompting consideration of more urgent measures to protect coastal wildlife. Among them were using cannons to scare off birds, and employing local shrimpers’ boats as makeshift oil skimmers in the shallows. All this seems quite ineffective,in response to the massive spill.
The Times author's add that part of the oil slick was only 16 miles offshore and appears to be drifting toward the Mississippi River Delta, marshlands at the southeastern tip of Louisiana where the river empties into the ocean.
The column notes that on Wednesday evening, cleanup crews began conducting what is called an in-situ burn, a process consisting of corralling concentrated parts of the spill in a 500-foot-long fireproof boom, moving it to another location and burning it. It has been tested effectively on other spills, but weather and ecological concerns can complicate the procedure.
Such a process will simply convert sea-surface pollution into air pollution and other types of water pollution. But some think it better than the oil drifting ashore. If it were really possible to prevent the spill reaching shore...but by the way the oil is spreading...not much of it will be able to be burned. Burning works only when oil is corralled and remains at a certain thickness on the surface. Burns may not be effective for most of this spill, of which, 97 percent is estimated to be an oil-water mixture. And not to mention the added burden of more particulates and more CO2 in the atmosphere. Of course that’s where it would have all ended up anyway…so what?
It is well to note that the Gulf of Mexico is the site of nearly 4000 such oil rigs and platforms scattered across the coast from Texas to Florida and as we increase such activity (exploitation of oil) the potential for accidents like this will rise exponentially. This event presents us with something to think about with great circumspection after President Obama, (I thought) carelessly tossed a bone to his political opponents, when he proposed recently that we expand off shore oil drilling over all of the east coast of the US--where even oil impresario Bush kept it banned! Perhaps his proposal was in response to the “nipple heads” on the right who clamor “Drill Baby Drill” But this event presents us with a clear example of why such exploration was banned and presents us with a clear view of what the consequences of expanded drilling in the coastal zone may generate. Thus it may be a good time to remind our President, with a letter or FAX stating your objections and reminder of what such a spill could do along our eastern seaboard.
It may also bring those who oppose the installation of clean, renewable energy in the form of silent, clean, wind farms along our east coast a chance, to rethink their opposition. Thankfully, the Cape Cod Wind Farm proposal got its final approval. The juxtaposition of these two events is fortuitous in one way. Let’s use it to underscore the dangers of the silly "drill drill drill" crowd!
May 1, 2010 Update.
The gusher has continued unabated. There appears to be little hope the light sweet crude flowing at five thousand barrels a day into the Gulf could be stopped very soon. The volume of the spilled oil (so far) and the response brings to mind the Exxon Valdez disaster--thought to be the worst human caused disaster in history-- in Prince William Sound, Alaska. That spill, occurred when the Exxon Valdez tanker hit Bligh Reef and spilled nearly 250,000 barrels (fifty million liters or about 11 million gallons) of thick Prudhoe Bay crude. The oil covered nearly 1,300 square miles of of ocean surface.
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_1)
Thousands of animals died immediately; the best estimates include 100,000 to as many as 250,000seabirds, at least 2,800 sea otters, approximately 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles, and 22 orcas, as well as the destruction of billions of salmon and herring eggs.[4][12] The effects of the spill continue to be felt today. Overall reductions in population have been seen in various ocean animals, including stunted growth in pink salmon populations.[14] Sea otters and ducks also showed higher death rates in following years, partially because they ingested prey from contaminated soil and from ingestion of oil residues on hair due to grooming.[15]
Could the BP Oil Rig Disaster ever reach the level of the Exxon Valdez? It certainly appears possible from here. At this point (May 1, 2010) we now know that the well has been gushing 5000 barrels per day since April 20th. Thus, to date over an eleven day period (11) it has dumped 11 X 5000 or 55,000 barrels so far. To reach the level of the Valdez event it would have to continue gushing oil (5000 bbl/day x 50days = 250,000) for a period of fifty days at its present rate. It has continued unabated so far for eleven days---thus in 39 days (50-11=39) from this date..with no change in the rate of spill--it will have reached the Exxon Valdez in amount of oil spilled.
Today: According to the Associated Press as reprinted by Newser (http://www.newser.com/article/d9fe6gg80/expert-surface-area-of-gulf-oil-spill-has-tripled-rough-seas-again-thwart-containment.html)
The surface area of a catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill quickly tripled in size amid growing fears among experts that the slick could become vastly more devastating than it seemed just two days ago.
The slick nearly tripled in just a day or so, growing from a spill the size of Rhode Island to something closer to the size of Puerto Rico, according to images collected from mostly European satellites and analyzed by the University of Miami.
On Thursday, the size of the slick was about 1,150 square miles, but by Friday's end it was in the range of 3,850 square miles, said Hans Graber, executive director of the university's Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing. That suggests the oil has started spilling from the well more quickly, Graber said.
How big could it get?
This event has the potential to become one of the greatest environmental disasters ever...
Can it even be contained in the Gulf?
Some are concerned that natural ocean currents in the Gulf may wash the gooey stuff out through the Straits of Florida...sliming the the Keys and the only living coral reefs in the Northern Hemisphere.
Rjk
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