I am with you this is a really significant that is going to have long reaching negative impacts that will last decades. And all for our conveniences. Kat
I was already sick when I heard the news. What is more unbelievable is that the U.S. doesn't require automatic shut-offs on their off-shore rigs. As a consumer of oil it really makes one think and wonder how we can push away from fossil fuels. We need to take care of the earth not just ourselves.
It seems that BP will pay for its actions. I'm surprised at the lack of ingenuity. It seems like all you need is a big bell (well essentially a bell) to cover the malfunctioning blowout preventer.
If anyone wants to help (please) an excellent bird and wildlife rescue place that is in the midst of the oil, please see this link to an earlier thread on NPN:.
Tri-State Bird Rescue needs all the donations it can get.
This spill is frightening. No question about it. But let's not panic before the facts are all in. For some perspective (and a ray of hope) read this article
We all admire nature, but we often sell nature short on it's ability to repair the damage we do, and its own self-inflicted damage. Give nature a little credit, before you assume the worst.
An interesting read, Curtis. Sadly it seems to focus on oiled birds as the leading indicator of the toll on wildlife. But it overlooks the fact that the most damage happening at the moment is not from oil washing ashore, but from the oxygen depletion occurring from all those fantastic oil eating microbes that also need oxygen to do their job. This is also an interesting read on the possibilities.
Added to that is the fact that huge undersea plumes are now being discovered stratified though out the water column and no one has a clue as to what damage these are causing to the inhabitants of the gulf.
For you sushi lovers out there the gulf is the North American nursery for bluefin tuna and the spawn is on. Tuna stocks are already in steep decline and this cannot possibly be good for them. Not to mention all of the inshore species that are also spawning.
I don't doubt nature's capacity to heal itself, but a lot of short term damage is already occurring and nobody knows what the long term effects will be. We've unleashed a giant chemistry experiment in the middle of one of the richest fisheries/marine nurseries on the planet which happens to be my back yard. So please understand if I'm just a little worried.
Curtis,,,,,you can be sure that EVERYONE down here is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Your posted link struck a nasty chord in me as it reminded me of that braying jackass Limbaugh's comment on nature's ability to handle this leak, as if this has any parallel to the deep sea seeps that occur naturally. Most people in the country have probably already moved on from this story. The coast of Louisiana is mostly unreachable except by boat, so it is mostly out of sight. The dispersants are also working to keep it out of sight. But the oil is still there.
Every summer an oxygen depleted dead zone caused by fertilizer run off from the midwest develops in the gulf. It fluctuates in size from year to year but generally it is about the size of Massachusetts. This year we might have to use a bigger state as a gauge.
The author of that piece, Craig Medred, is an idiot.
4 people died in the cleanup process after Exxon Valdez spill .. to say 'it killed no one' is a lie. Medred knows this well.
NOAA's study on the Herring population recovery reads quite a bit different to Medred's piece. Some state F&G fish specialist's also suggest toxins from the oil spill have weakened the herring's immune system, leading to greater susceptibility to the viral hemorrhagic septicemia.
Salmon, for example, weren't listed 'recovered' from the spill until 2002. I'm curious why he writes " average annual salmon catches in the 18 years post-Exxon were more than double the annual average salmon catches in the 18 years pre-Exxon" ... I'd be highly surprised if this is true in any REAL way at all, but I'm not bothered to look it up.
Everyone has an opinion and have listened to so much "hearsay". I have been guilty of this myself. Friends in the industry pointed me to an excellent article in theoildrum....an industry discussion forum with articles.
Please go to this site to find out the details, as far as we know, about how the spill occurred.
The author threw out all information. He started with eye-witness accounts and real data and created a timeline of events that led to the oil spill
.I am an "ex" geologist and grew up on Perdido Key near Pensacola. The beach has been part of my heart and soul for all my life, but the publicity has been misleading.
Yes, BP is STILL at fault and cut corners, but you may want to find out what corners they cut! The cement! the safety of knowing how much weight and concentration is crucial the the integrity of the well! Any drilling engineer knows this.
Wells like this cost over a million dollars a day to operate. Some greedy "genius" at BP decided to "save" money! Well, this is the horrible result. This is why most oil companies are so scrupulous about every step in drilling a well. NO ONE WANTS TO DIE!!!
But, the workers on the rig rely on orders "from above" about technical details of the drilling. So, as I said, someone at BP thought they could save some money and "look good" to the higher ups, so that he/she could boast that they drilled the well at "below cost"!!!
If you would like to find out what a "PRO" has written about how this happened, please go to this site. http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6493theoildrum
Everyone talks about the Blow-out preventer failing, but the BOP failure was secondary. The primary cause appears to be a problem in the cement. The cement casing keeps the rock and fluid drilled sealed off from the "hole" itself.
The site, again, is http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6493 You will find it very illuminating.
Discussion
13 replieshttp://guytal.com/wordpress/2009/12/journal-entry-not-an-environmentalist/
I found this site to have a very good article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423504575212031417936798.html
Stop using petroleum..... and that will affect everything you do or want to do.
Are YOU willing to stop?
I doubt it.
We have brains. We have to do the best we can with what we have and what we want.
We can learn and drill again...
the fisch
Tri-State Bird Rescue needs all the donations it can get.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=55786&CGISESSID=45e85911a708cc5c58278c72a106ff21&u=27067
Sandy r
We all admire nature, but we often sell nature short on it's ability to repair the damage we do, and its own self-inflicted damage. Give nature a little credit, before you assume the worst.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/5/16/866928/-UPDATE:-Gas-Leak-3000-Times-Worse-Than-OilUpdated-Math
Added to that is the fact that huge undersea plumes are now being discovered stratified though out the water column and no one has a clue as to what damage these are causing to the inhabitants of the gulf.
For you sushi lovers out there the gulf is the North American nursery for bluefin tuna and the spawn is on. Tuna stocks are already in steep decline and this cannot possibly be good for them. Not to mention all of the inshore species that are also spawning.
I don't doubt nature's capacity to heal itself, but a lot of short term damage is already occurring and nobody knows what the long term effects will be. We've unleashed a giant chemistry experiment in the middle of one of the richest fisheries/marine nurseries on the planet which happens to be my back yard. So please understand if I'm just a little worried.
Regards,
David
Every summer an oxygen depleted dead zone caused by fertilizer run off from the midwest develops in the gulf. It fluctuates in size from year to year but generally it is about the size of Massachusetts. This year we might have to use a bigger state as a gauge.
The author of that piece, Craig Medred, is an idiot.
4 people died in the cleanup process after Exxon Valdez spill .. to say 'it killed no one' is a lie. Medred knows this well.
NOAA's study on the Herring population recovery reads quite a bit different to Medred's piece. Some state F&G fish specialist's also suggest toxins from the oil spill have weakened the herring's immune system, leading to greater susceptibility to the viral hemorrhagic septicemia.
Salmon, for example, weren't listed 'recovered' from the spill until 2002. I'm curious why he writes " average annual salmon catches in the 18 years post-Exxon were more than double the annual average salmon catches in the 18 years pre-Exxon" ... I'd be highly surprised if this is true in any REAL way at all, but I'm not bothered to look it up.
Cheers
Carl
Please go to this site to find out the details, as far as we know, about how the spill occurred.
The author threw out all information. He started with eye-witness accounts and real data and created a timeline of events that led to the oil spill
.I am an "ex" geologist and grew up on Perdido Key near Pensacola. The beach has been part of my heart and soul for all my life, but the publicity has been misleading.
Yes, BP is STILL at fault and cut corners, but you may want to find out what corners they cut! The cement! the safety of knowing how much weight and concentration is crucial the the integrity of the well! Any drilling engineer knows this.
Wells like this cost over a million dollars a day to operate. Some greedy "genius" at BP decided to "save" money! Well, this is the horrible result. This is why most oil companies are so scrupulous about every step in drilling a well. NO ONE WANTS TO DIE!!!
But, the workers on the rig rely on orders "from above" about technical details of the drilling. So, as I said, someone at BP thought they could save some money and "look good" to the higher ups, so that he/she could boast that they drilled the well at "below cost"!!!
If you would like to find out what a "PRO" has written about how this happened, please go to this site. http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6493theoildrum
Everyone talks about the Blow-out preventer failing, but the BOP failure was secondary. The primary cause appears to be a problem in the cement. The cement casing keeps the rock and fluid drilled sealed off from the "hole" itself.
The site, again, is http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6493 You will find it very illuminating.
Lucy