The Exxon every four days??? This sucks. Wondering what those from the area think??
I am sure that those in the areas where this slick washes up will be more than angry.
But the true facts are unclear. The reported spill substantiated by BP is around 200,000 gallons/day. Remember 200,000 gallons is about the size of 3 big swimming pools. Also know that 500,000 gallons a day leak into the gulf from natural sites. Another half million gallons leak out of boats, tankers, and come into the gulf from land runoff. There are reported rumors of the leak being bigger. There are also reported rumors of some big underwater oil plume (I thought oil is lighter than water and it floats).
And on that same topic
http://envirowonk.com/content/view/68/1/
Not that this leak isnât a problem and needs to be fixed. The exact cause remains unresolved and this is a problem. If you donât know why, you canât fix it.
And if you quit drilling for oil, put away those fancy fishing boats because you canât aford to feed them or drive your truck down to the dock to get in them. Prepare to like the dark and the cold and get ready to be a second class nation. Remember, the reason we drill for oil is so that we can drive stuff. And everyone who turns a key shares in the blame. Maybe some a little less than others but guilty none-the-less.
But there is another way. See
http://www.hatofmichigan.org/Environment.html
for some food for thought.
Godspeed,
Bob
Bob Bolton
www.HATofMichigan.org
Very well said, Bob. Comparing this spill to that of the Exxon Valdez, other than in total quantity spilled, is comparing apples to oranges. As Bob noted, natural oil seeps have existed, at least along the Texas Gulf Coast, for ages. Tar balls are, and have been, a given on our beaches since long before European colonization. As a consequence of this seepage, there are, or so I was taught as a graduate student 50 years ago, certain bacteria that have evolved over time that feed on (petroleophilic) such seepage and break it down into harmless components. These bacteria are apparently present in small numbers in the Gulf waters and the bays and marshes along our coast at all times, and âspring into actionâ (bloom) when spills occur; starting degradation almost immediately. I have no knowledge of either the presence or absence of similar seeps occurring off the Alaskan coast for a similar period time and resulting in tar balls on the beaches affected by the âValdezâ spill to enable the development of petroleophilic bacteria in that region of the world. However, the presence of oil in and on their beaches some 20 years after the spill tends to indicate that such bacteria do not exist there.
Another major consideration is the Q-10 principle; which, simply stated, says that for every 10 degree Celsius (18 deg. F) increase in temperature, the rate of a chemical reaction doubles. Given the profoundly different temperature regimes that prevail in Alaska vs those that prevail along the Gulf Coast, both on land and in the waters, any natural degradation would, and will, occur at a much faster rate than has occurred in the âValdezâ case. Simply put, we have at least a 10 month long âgrowing seasonâ on the Gulf coast vs a barely 2 month long âgrowing seasonâ in Alaska for such organisms to âdo their thingâ.
I dare say that not a single person directly involved with this spill is cognizant of the amount of crude oil, and some of its distillates, that were âspilledâ in northern Guilf coastal waters by U.S. tankers that were torpedoed and sunk just off the U.S. Gulf coast, if they are at all aware of the fact that such sinkings actually occurred. As my graduate advisor once testified in Court in New Orleans during a case involving a spill;" If these natural phenomena did not occur, there would be natives living in the Delta area today that would be walking around in oil about this deep.", at which time he stood up and moved his hand back and forth at his hip level. It is worth noting that absolutely NO effort was made to clean up these spills. The requisite men and materials were devoted to the war effort.
YES! the environment is going to be adversely affected, and organisms, such as birds, sea turtles, and possibly others, will likely die. However, given the nature of the differences between the Alaskan environment and that of the Gulf Coast, I personally doubt that the damage will even come close to that experienced in Alaska. Moreover, two different types of crude are involved in such a comparison. The effects of Red Tide can be just as devastating, if not moreso, than such an oil spill, and such a phenomenon is a natural one.
FWIW; I speak as both a resident if the Texas Gulf Coast for over 40 years, and as a retired marine biologist, and someone who would like to add a little reason to the matter ( as word the combination âcommon senseâ has become the ultimate oxymoron, I hesitate to use them together).
Cheers!
Isnât this wee bit political in nature for this forum?
<HYJACK ⌠momentarily!! What do I see??? Itâs the BBW!!! Hooray!!! Good to see you here!!!
OK ⌠back to topic now!>
[/sarcasm] Why, because we are all to blame for BPâs lack of foresight? Canât we make this old argument about everything that happens anywhere? [/end sarcasm]
All I wanted to add was some food for thought! There are some good explanations about Environmental impact and that was what Iâm most curious about.
Why Betty, you little hyjacker you. No wonder youâre the official Club Sweetheart of the NBOF.
BTW, What Betty said about seeing BBW posting.
Ed
P.S. My sister lives on the MS Gulf Coast and is not at all happy about the oil spill.
FWIW; I speak as both a resident if the Texas Gulf Coast for over 40 years, and as a retired marine biologist, and someone who would like to add a little reason to the matter ( as word the combination âcommon senseâ has become the ultimate oxymoron, I hesitate to use them together).
Mr. Aged Sage,
Excellent reasoning Sir, may your science prevailâŚ
Sincerely
Steve Molcsan and Son
Sorry to say but have you all have you all not seen the news and pics from space lately??? This is only getting worse, Thanks BP.
Is it detrimental to the area? SUre. Is it temproary? Yup. A storm that needs to be weathered enviromentaly. But it too shall pass.
Too political? Fishing siteâŚgulf coast fishing? Probly related:^)
Thank you aged, I really appreciate your perspective. The news reports (as usual) make it sound like the end of life as we know it for the gulf, keys, and eastern seaboard.
pillcaster:
I appreciate the words of support! I fully expected to be keel-hauled and then quartered when I posted it.
NJTroutbum:
Truer words could not be spoken. It is unfortunate that the public at large does not, to coin a phrase, âStop and smell the rosesâ. Mother Nature is NOT a kind and gentle loving Mother! In fact, She is a harsh and cruel Mother to her universe; routinely, and sometimes somewhat regularly. To cite a couple of examples, one of which can affect extremely large areas of both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are hurricanes. They can damage coral reefs, completely re-work marine and estuarine bottoms in shallow waters, cause precipitous drops in salinity due to the heavy rainfall that they typically produce, completely displacing many organisms from their habitat, to say nothing of the terrestrial damage they do. Yet the organisms do come back with time. The other example, and less common natural event, occurs along the northern Gulf coast. Here in Texas, the normal daily tidal variation is 18 inches, or less. We are in a temperate to sub-tropical climate zone. Every few years we will have an Arctic blast come through during the winter that drops air temperature, and ultimately the water temperatures, as much as 40 F in just a few hours and at the same time literally blows all of the water, as much as six or seven feet deep, out of our bays. Those organisms that do not have the capacity to flee are often frozen: oysters, clams, crabs, etc., and millions of fish are killed by the cold shock. I have personally seen all of this kind of happening first hand, as well as enduring two hurricanes in our immediate area. Therefore, I canât get too alarmed over this oil spill. It isnât the first, and it wonât be the last, off-shore oil spill as long as we utilize petroleum derived products in our daily lives. YES! The loss of the lives of the various organisms is tragic; but nonetheless, that is what life is all about.
agedsage
Friday; May 21st, 2010
I just posted a breaking story (on the conservation BB) about a possible cleanup solution to the oil spill from a most unlikey source. ~Parnelli