Oil Spills and other such mishaps

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Here is a historical list of oil spills and well blow outs.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001451.html

You will notice that the world has not come to and end nor has life on earth been extinguished.

In 1979 the Ixtoc well blew out in the Gulf of Mexico. The news stories and the commentaries were almost identical to what we have been hearing in the last month. It was a nasty leak and economic damage did occur, but sea life in the Gulf wasn't wiped out, the fishing industry survived and most of us lived to see another day.

ruveyn

The difference you failed to mention being, of course, that massive amounts of harmful dispersants were not injected into the 1979 spill and that the oil floated to the top of the water quicker in the Gulf of Mexico spill (thereby more easily consumed by microbes).

The marshes/wetlands are much more critical than just to fishing. It's also key to preventing coastal erosion and loss of land (literally).











This is no joke. When I talk about losing my home, I'm very literal about it. This is a serious f*****g problem beyond simply the fishing economy or the petrol economy.

This means a much faster loss of land.

The misinformation and emotives surrounding this astounds me, but I should not be surprised.

Yes, it is very correct to recognise that an oil spill is not the end of the earth, nor does it cause everlasting damage. Numerous natural leakages are found worldwide, and do no harm, so it will follow that man-made spills will have the same impact. For sure it looks messy, and upsets the greenies, but nature has its mechanisms to deak with it very effectively. bacteria love oil, and between them and the natural elements they very quickly break the oil down and allow it to be absorbed into the world.

A little recognised fact is that some years after the Exxon Valdez disaster we now see the area richer in life than it was before, this is due to Crude influence. The crude spill was particularly messy then because of the low temperatures, but time now tells. The mexican gulf has an advantage in that it is signifcantly warmer.

Not saying we should not prevent or do something about them, or that they doen't cause immediate harm, but on the long run its no big deal.

As for the dispersants, they are formulated to be environmentaly friendly, and break down quickly. Primary purpoesse is the aid in the rapid breakdown of the oil and minimise its agglomeration which creates all the mess we get so upset about. it will not prevent micobes from attacking the oil.

I know this as both a Chemist in the oil industry, and also one who has been inolved in the study of oil breadown in nature and its mechanisms.

even if the effects of the oil spill eventually become less severe in the years to come, the point is that such a catastrophe never had to happen and could have possibly been prevented. the oil rig was not inspected by engineers before it was used and the dead man switch did not work, possibly due to the fact that one of its batteries was dead. even when the oil becomes dispersed after a long time, permanent damage will already have been inflicted.

I just learned today someone suggested we explode a nuclear device in the Gulf in order to seal the leak. As one of Kieth Olbermann's guests tonight (himself an actual scientist) said, with hurricane season coming up, you could expect radioactive globs of oil being hurled inland into the Gulf States if this hair brained stunt were ever carried out!

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

who suggested that? how would that ever be effective?

i cant wait for some wackjob preacher to say that god is once again punishing the southeast because of sin. does anyone remember some religious fanatic saying that god sent the hurricane katrina because of off the casinos in mississippi?