Gulf of Mexico oil geyser

Anyone else getting an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of their stomach about that oil geyser in the Gulf of Mexico? Let's see, they are estimating 5,000 barrels of oil per day are coming out of that hole. That's 210,000 GALLONS of crude oil every day. The fix that BP is talking about implementing by drilling another hole to tap into and close the leaking one will take them an estimated 3 months to complete. At the current rate, we are talking about 18,900,000 MORE gallons of crude oil on top of what has already come up up to now.

And I have heard rumors that the entire thing could blow open increasing the flow 10 fold.

I don't know, but I think they really need to come up with a better solution to implement RIGHT NOW.

Connie and I are planning on renting a place down on Sanibel Island near Ft. Myers, FL this Fall. Any bets on that beach not being an oil stained mess at that time? How many other people do you think are backing out of plans to go to the beaches this Summer? This will likely kill the seafood industry and sport fishing in much of the Gulf states and likely up the eastern seaboard when the oil flow goes through the Keys and into the Atlantic.

I don't think the terrorists could have come up with a much better plan to cause America even more economic strife.

It's a real shame. I live in Florida just above Clearwater and I know you live in Florida. They say that if our beaches get covered in oil it will more then likely bankrupt the state. There will be no tourist money. Hell, there aren't any jobs now, and we have one of if not the highest unemployment rate in the country. I have been unemployed since July of last year. When the tourist stop coming to Florida we will have 50% unemployment rate. I got a bad feeling about this.

I feel uncomfortable about it, too. Maybe there's more going on behind the scenes that we aren't privy to, but I'd love to see some more urgent response to this. It seems like they're moving in slow motion.

Yeah... and I believe all of the really bad news we are hearing is actually downplaying the true story. I think there is a real good chance that the well will empty completely as there is really nothing they can do about it. Obviously the oil is under a lot of pressure to push out of that hole in that depth of water. So until the pressure of the oil equalizes with the pressure of the column of water above it, it's going to just keep coming out.

So the REAL question is, how much oil is actually in that well that will eventually be circulating the oceans and making landfall all over the place?

And what happens if an early season hurricane comes up into the Gulf next month? June IS the beginning of hurricane season.

Well, so much for my Florida retirement fund......

Originally Posted by MagickalMorphs

I feel uncomfortable about it, too. Maybe there's more going on behind the scenes that we aren't privy to, but I'd love to see some more urgent response to this. It seems like they're moving in slow motion.

They are moving in slow motion. The reason is because there was no plan in place if something like this should happen. I think BP executive should be prosecuted for this.

This oil catastrophe could end up being the worst in the history of the world. Here are some comparisions.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, hit Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated minimum 10.8 million US gallons (40.9 million litres) of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters ever to occur in history. As significant as the Valdez spill was -- the largest ever in US waters -- it ranks well down on the list of the world's largest oil spills in terms of volume released.

The Exon Valdez is probably the one that comes to mind to most americans.

Now check this out.

A List of 12 of the Largest Oil Spills in History

12. The Torrey Canyon Oil Spill - March 18, 1967
Location: Scilly Isles, UK
Amount of Oil Spilled: 25 - 36 million gallons
The Torrey Canyon was one of the first big supertankers. It was also the source of one of the first major oil spills. Although the ship was originally built to carry 60,000 tons, it was enlarged to a 120,000 ton capacity. She was carrying this full capacity of oil when she struck a reef off the coast of Cornwall.

The spill created an oil slick measuring 270 square miles. It contaminated approximately 180 miles of coastland and killed over 15,000 sea birds and enormous numbers of aquatic animals before the spill was finally contained.

11. The Sea Star Oil Spill - December 19, 1972
Location: Gulf of Oman
Amount of Oil Spilled: 35.3 million gallons
The South Korean supertanker, Sea Star, collided with a Brazilian tanker, the Horta Barbosa off the coast of Oman

10. Odyssey Oil Spill - November 10, 1988
Location: off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada
Amount of Oil Spilled: 40.7 million gallons
This spill occurred approximately 700 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

9. M/T Haven Tanker Oil Spill - April 11, 1991
Location: Genoa, Italy
Amount of Oil Spilled: 45 million gallons
This oil tanker exploded and sank off the coast of Italy killing six people and leaking its remaining oil into the Mediterranean for 12 years after the sinking. The source of the explosion was alleged to be the poor state of repair the ship was in. Supposedly the Haven was scrapped after being hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War and then put back into operation.

8. ABT Summer Oil Spill - May 28, 1991
Location: approximately 700 nautical miles off the coast of Angola
Amount of Oil Spilled: 51-81 million gallons
This ship exploded off the coast of Angola creating an oil leak that discharged massive quantities of oil into the
ocean.

7. Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill - March 16, 1978
Location: Portsall, France
Amount of Oil Spilled: 69 million gallons
One of the most notorious oil spills in history, the Amoco Cadiz was caught in a fierce winter storm that damaged its rudder. The ship put out a distress call that it was no longer able to maneuver. Several ships responded, but none were able to stop the massive ship from running aground. On March 17th, the gigantic supertanker broke in two sending all of its 69 million gallons of oil into the English Channel. The ship was later sunk by the French.

The wreck of the Amoco Cadiz is located HERE.

6. Castillo de Bellver Oil Spill - August 6, 1983
Location: Saldanha Bay, South Africa
Amount of Oil Spilled: 79 million gallons
The Castillo de Bellver caught fire approximately 70 miles north west of Cape Town, South Africa. The ship drifted before breaking in two 25 miles off the coast. The ships stern sank in deep water still carrying approximately 31 million gallons of oil. The bow section, was towed away and deliberately sunk.

To read more about the Castillo de Bellver Oil Spill, click HERE.

5. Nowruz Oil Field Spill - February 10 to September 18, 1983
Location: Persian Gulf, Iran
Amount of Oil Spilled: 80 million gallons
This spill was the result of a tanker collision with an oil platform. The platform tilted and was closed, but the weakened platform collapsed sending oil spewing into the Persian Gulf. Delays in getting the leak capped were caused by the ongoing Iran-Iraq War.

To read a detailed description of this oil leak and subsequent oil leaks in the Nowruz Oil Field, click HERE.

4. Kolva River Oil Spill - September 8, 1994
Location: Kolva River, Russia
Amount of Oil Spilled: 84 million gallons
A ruptured pipeline caused this enormous oil spill. The pipeline had been leaking for eight months, but the oil was contained by a dike. When the dike collapsed, it sent millions of gallons of oil into the Russian Arctic.

To read more about the Kolva River Oil Spill, click HERE.

3. Atlantic Empress Oil Spill - July 19, 1979
Location: Off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago
Amount of Oil Spilled: 90 million gallons
This Greek oil tanker was caught in a tropical storm and collided with another ship, the Aegean Captain. The damaged ship continued to lose oil before finally sinking on August 3,
1979.

2. Ixtoc 1 Oil Spill - June 3, 1979 - March 23, 1980
Location: Bay of Campeche off Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico
Amount of Oil Spilled: 140 million gallons
This oil spill didn't involve a tanker, but rather an offshore oil well. Pemex, a state-owned Mexican petroleum company was drilling an oil well when a blowout occurred. The oil ignited causing the drilling rig to collapse. Oil began gushing out of the well into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of 10,000 to 30,000 barrels a day for almost an entire year beforeworkers were finally able to cap the well and stop the leak.

1. Arabian Gulf/Kuwait - January 19, 1991
Location: Persian Gulf, Kuwait
Amount of Oil Spilled: 380-520 million gallons
Ironically, the worst oil spill in human history wasn't the result of an accident. During the Gulf War, Iraqi forces, attempting to thwart a potential landing of American soldiers, opened the valves at an offshore oil terminal and dumped oil from several tankers. The oil they released created a 4-inch thick oil slick that covered 4000 square miles. To put it in perspective, that's enough oil to cover the entire state of Rhode Island one foot deep in oil.

How does the Exxon Valdez oil spill rank in comparison?
When the Exxon Valdez ran aground on March 24, 1989 off the coast of Alaska, it spilled 10.8 million gallons of oil along 1100 miles of Alaskan coast. The spill could have been much worse - the Valdez was carrying 53 million gallons.

In terms of sheer volume, the Exxon Valdez spill ranks as the 35th worst oil spill in history. As frightening as that spill was, it's even more frightening to consider that there are 34 oil spills even worse.


Here is a link.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ry.html?cat=37

Damn... that's a LOT of oil that has been spilled over the years. But I guess the world survived it. Sort of, anyway.

I am very concerned. Thought these were some interesting tidbits:
"Oil bubbling up from the Gulf of Mexico wellhead, which sits more than 5,000 feet (about 1,500 meters) below the water's surface, is coming from even deeper inside the Earth. That means the oil is heavier and thicker than the crude spilled in past, tanker-based disasters"

"the dense oil mixes with water to form an emulsion, a sort of gooey, chocolate mousse-like substance"

The story goes on to describe how this is even harder to clean up and even more detrimental to wildlife
(from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ill-dead-zone/)

Interesting and scary interactive map showing the spill:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/oil-spill-map.htm

I hope the weather cooperates so they can hopefully sop up the mess before it creates too much damage.


****
(stupid humans)

The chief executive of BP sold £1.4 million of his shares in the fuel giant weeks before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused its value to collapse.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...oil-spill.html

Goldman Sachs sold $250 million of BP stock before spill
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0602/mon...lion-bp-stock/









BP buys Google, Yahoo search words:Is it to keep people from real news on Gulf oil spill disaster?
http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Poli...il-spill-disas

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

I am very concerned. Thought these were some interesting tidbits:
"Oil bubbling up from the Gulf of Mexico wellhead, which sits more than 5,000 feet (about 1,500 meters) below the water's surface, is coming from even deeper inside the Earth. That means the oil is heavier and thicker than the crude spilled in past, tanker-based disasters"

"the dense oil mixes with water to form an emulsion, a sort of gooey, chocolate mousse-like substance"

The story goes on to describe how this is even harder to clean up and even more detrimental to wildlife
(from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ill-dead-zone/)

Interesting and scary interactive map showing the spill:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/oil-spill-map.htm

I hope the weather cooperates so they can hopefully sop up the mess before it creates too much damage.


****
(stupid humans)

It's much worse than those stories make it out to be...... Not to mention the ban on exploration is going to cause the loss of anywhere between 75,000 and 150000 jobs statewide. So no seafood industry... no oil industry..... that's louisiana's top industries.....

things are really desperate down here...... I have an uncle that is a shrimper... he was helping the cleanup using his boat to skim.... he hasnt seen a dime from BP and had to eventually stop doing the work because of chemical pneumonia... from all of the fumes......

We just got our state back on track after Katrina and Rita.... and now this....

BP only shows up to clean the beaches when officials come down from Washington.... then they leave as soon as the visit's are over......

Im an Environmental Scientist by trade... so I guess I will have a little job security.... but I really feel for the thousands that will lose everything...