10-Mile Underwater Plume of Oil Off Louisiana from BP Oil Spill
Scientists are not yet able to determine the long-term impact of the BP spill. Much of the oil lingers at great depths.
Tony Hayward, Chief Executive of British Petroleum (BP) continues to try to downplay the disaster of the oil spill. He told the Guardian that the spill is "relatively tiny, compared with the very big ocean." He added "The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to total water volume."
Well that explanation would satisfy only a child of age 5 perhaps. Adults know better, and now scientists are releasing details as to the extent of this oil spill and environmental disaster.
Huge Underwater Plume of Oil
The New York Times reports that scientists have now identified a large underwater plume of oil in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. One plume is described as "10 miles long, 3 miles wide, and 300 feet thick."
The oil plumes are destroying oxygen levels in the water of the Gulf of Mexico. This causes the death of wildlife. To the birds and fish in the Gulf Coast this spill is not "tiny" as BP claims, it is life threatening.
Dr. Samantha Joye, of the University of Georgia, tells the NY Times that "oxygen has already dropped 30 % near some of the plumes in the month that the broken oil well had been flowing...This could draw the oxygen down to very low levels that are dangerous to animals in a couple of months."
The flow of oil out of the BP rig is now estimated by scientists to be 25,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil daily. Scientists working on the boat "Pelican" have described these higher estimates of leaking oil. This mission is under the authorization of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The bulk of the oil released may be deep underwater due to the dispersants BP is using. It is not yet known why such large oil plumes are lingering at great depths in the Gulf of Mexico.
The long-term effects of this oil spill cannot yet be predicted. It is sure to have a devastating impact on the environment, wildlife, the fishing and shrimping industries and the tourism industry in the Gulf Coast.
Will the Oil Spill Impact Tourism?
The CS Monitor reports that the oil could travel anywhere from the "Mexican Coast to Palm Beach." As the summer tourism season starts, hotel owners, fishing tour operators, and anyone else who works in the tourism industry must be having a lot of anxiety about how the oil spill will impact their revenue for this season and into the future.
Video of Oil Being Released
To see a video of the oil being released from the BP spill located 5,000 feet down in the Gulf of Mexico, click on the last resource below.
Sources
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/us/16oil.html?hp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/13/bp-boss-admits-mistakes-gulf-oil-spill
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0515/Gulf-spill-oil-driven-by-complex-ocean-currents-and-eddies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-grandia/breaking-new-underwater-v_b_574170.html (VIDEO OF OIL RELEASE)
Published by Julia Bodeeb
Winner, Pulitzer Center Global Issues contest (Washington, DC), semi-finalist: The Nation's poetry contest. Published in newspapers, magazines and many online websites. Sold jokes to a major comic. Over a... View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentBP have to face criminal charges for destruction of property, negligence, lying to the USA, and yes manslaughter resulting from the negligence. Also ,unethical business practice by way of not adhering to standard engineering procedures, and safety violations. And if the British do not like it, as they assume the USA angry is aimed at the British, well let them take their business elsewhere.
Dont be fooled for a second. BP should have started on capping this well the day after it exploded. They are negligent in causing the accident and they've been trying to save that oil at all cost. This industry is full of slimeballs!!!
This is so sad for many reasons. Great reporting.
This is a tragedy for sure. Great reporting, Julia (as usual) cheers :)
Those BP execs are CRIMINALS!
At this point, it's all about covering their asses.
The BP oil spill will have an significant impact upon the ocean food chain as many creatures depend or are dependent upon the health of the ocean for thier livelihood.
That quote is priceless. Don't they have someone vetting the words of these idiots before they open their mouths? A big ocean...small compared to total volume, etc. Unbelievable!
If he doesn't even know that the Gulf is not an ocean, how much faith can we have in him to fix the problem.
This whole thing makes me sick. There should be criminal charges brought on the falsifying of safety equipment. BP stands for Big Polluter.