Did Gulf Oil Spill Cause Massive Tornado in Mississippi?
Oil Spill Causes Tornado in MS?
The oil rig sank after the explosion and it could take months to stop the Gulf oil spill from leaking out of two pipes that are now well below the ocean's surface. Amazingly, only 11 of the 126 oil rig workers are presumed dead. The cleanup is set to resume now that the weather has calmed after the massive tornado in Mississippi and severe weather has subsided.
Tornado season is off to a rough start this spring. According to CBS News, nearly 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed after approximately 50 tornadoes hit the southeast on April 24, 2010, tearing through 17 counties in Mississippi. The massive tornado in Yazoo City, Miss., was an F4 with winds of as much as 170 mph; killing at least five. The death toll has risen to 12, but more bodies could be found in the wreckage.
Did Gulf Oil Spill Cause Massive Tornado in MS?
My first reaction to hearing about the massive tornado in Mississippi was that it was an affect of the gulf oil spill. I am far from a scientist but did find supporting evidence to back my atmosphere theory.
According to Wikipedia, "an increase in the sea surface temperature of a source region (e.g. Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea) increases atmospheric moisture content. Increased moisture can fuel an increase in severe weather and tornado activity, particularly in the cool season."
A study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates the primary driver of 'atmospheric moistening' is the increase in carbon dioxide caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Oil Spill Causes Tornado in MS
Based on the noted evidence, the Gulf oil spill 'fueled the fire'. The burning oil caused an increase in carbon dioxide levels, which increases atmospheric moisture thereby causing or contributing to massive tornado strikes that hit the Southeast. The study from Academy of Sciences supports my initial reaction that oil spills cause tornado and severe weather conditions. As we know, water and oil do not mix. The Gulf oil spill is either responsible for the massive tornadoes or exacerbated an already brewing storm.
The negative effects of the Gulf oil spill and burning of fossil fuel will continue to hurt the economy and ecology. We can only hope alternative energy will soon take hold and that this is not a predictor of future massive tornadoes to come.
Sources: Tornado, Wikipedia
Oil leak from sunken rig could hurt Gulf Coast, chron | Energy
10 Dead in Mississippi After Tornado, TIME
Mississippi tornado leaves at least 10 dead, CNN Wire Staff
Miss. Mom Dies Saving Kids From Tornado, CBS News
Increase in atmospheric moisture tied to human activities, Benjamin D. Santer, Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, EurekAlert!
Death toll mounts in weekend US tornadoes, therawstory.com
Published by Ranee Wright
Professional writer; movie and music connoisseur. Featured Movie Contributor on Associated Content. Featured computer and internet contributor on Xomba. View profile
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- Offshore Oil Rig, Deepwater Horizon, Sinks; Could Send Oil Slick to Mississippi Coast
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- Based on the noted evidence above, the Gulf oil spill 'fueled the fire'.
56 Comments
Post a Commentim not einstein or into oceanography but that is a hard pill to swallow. I live in Mississippi and a Tornado in Yazoo City some 400 miles from the Gulf Coast it would not be feasible that it would be fueled by the oil spill. Hot air and cold air mixture would be the contributor but you have to consider to that Yazoo City is flat delta land. The reason Oklahoma ranks #1 in the Nation and Texas #2 for killer tornadoes is related to its flat lands.
Very interesting. At any rate, this is a horrible occurrence and I hope it gets resolved soon. Companies should be held accountable, even for "accidents" such as these.
it is raining Corexit in Pensacola. 2 days ago during a heavy rain, you could smell the chemicals, i mean really smell it. when the rain stopped, the smell drifted up from the hot ground and, when combined with the humidity, it was overwelming. my eyes burned and felt sick, no appetite either. so many people along the coast are saying they don't feel well. we will all die here, or they will mass evacuate, and you will lose what you have. folks will never be allowed back. i can't imagine that so i'm selling everything and leaving, soon. i'd like to thank the US gov't for support in these matters. thanks for de-regulating safety issues, thanks for letting other countries help, and for the ultimate murder of all sealife in the Gulf. and a great big round of applause for letting a foreign oil company run our nation......
it is raining Corexit in Pensacola. 2 days ago during a heavy rain, you could smell the chemicals, i mean really smell it. when the rain stopped, the smell drifted up from the hot ground and, when combined with the humidity, it was overwelming. my eyes burned and felt sick, no appetite either. so many people along the coast are saying they don't feel well. we will all die here, or they will mass evacuate, and you will lose what you have. folks will never be allowed back. i can't imagine that so i'm selling everything and leaving, soon. i'd like to thank the US gov't for support in these matters. thanks for de-regulating safety issues, thanks for letting other countries help, and for the ultimate murder of all sealife in the Gulf. and a great big round of applause for letting a foreign oil company run our nation......
amazing info, these events are terrorising the wild life
Fascinating info Ranee!
As a Florida native and college student majoring in Environmental Geography it had previously occured to me that the oil spill would (theoretically) reduce the albedo of the gulf surface waters and thereby increase its absorption of radiation and finally create a sauna-like body of water ripe for development of superhurricanes.
Sorry, but the ocean has oil leaks all the time. This one just happens to be man made.
Good supporting evidence for this article. The volcano of oil and gas spewing into the ocean is causing climate changes. Why? Just go to noaa.gov and read about ocean currents. Have you ever filled a bathtub full of hot water, stuck your toe in and realized it was too hot? Then, ran cold water and swirled it around to cool it down? Same principle. The freezing cold, icy water/gas mixture from the ocean floor is swirling the warmer top water in with it, cooling it down, and causing winds blowing over the ocean to be colder. Global warming is about extreme weather conditions, not necessarily warmer weather.
For the record, I'm "non-environmental" meaning I don't buy into anything with respect to global warming except conservation.
Jason -- how can you understand Chaos Theory and reject that human activity could affect global climate? Interesting.