More and more good news from the Gulf of Mexico
Posted: Friday, August 06, 2010
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
Seemingly more and better news originates each day concerning the gulf oil spill and the progress being made. According to retired Admiral Thad Allen, workers have completed the task of forcing heavy mud down into the broken pipe and then pouring fresh cement to cap that off was completed Thursday. This should assure all that no more oil will come out of the broken pipe.
Admiral Allen disagrees and says the job will not be completed to his satisfaction until the mud and cement are forced into the bottom of the well. He also adds:
"I am the national incident commander and I issue the orders. This will not be done until we do the bottom kill."
But the stopping of the oil leak is not the only good news, and perhaps not even the most welcome as the reports from scientists who seem to be in agreement.
Most are saying that the lasting ecological damage may be fairly small. There are several factors which have acted greatly to augment this optimism.
First, the natural assets have been of tremendous value. As the BP oil spill gushed an estimated 172 millions of crude into the gulf waters over a three period, the Mississippi River pours more water than that into the gulf, each minute, 24/7. 198 million gallons per minute. That will dilute a lot of oil. But that is not all of nature's help.
The unusually hot summer weather has kept the gulf waters very warm which is very helpful in multiplying microbes which devour oil! It is recognized by scientists that some 41 million gallons of oil, per year, seeps into the gulf from natural leaks. This has been helpful rather than harmful, in that it has caused healthy development of a microbial ecosystem to consume that oil.
Add to these and other natural helpers, the vast fleet of skimmer ships, pouring dispersants into the oil stricken waters, individual workers and more which have spent hours of removing oil from the water as well as the beaches. On average, most of those scientists who were polled, averaged an estimated 2/3 or more of the spilled oil has been captured, burned or naturally dispersed and/or greatly diluted.
Yet, even with all of this exceeding great news, the spill has taken a drastic toll, although not as yet fully determined. So far, a government report shows 2,100 sea fouls and sea life which have been found covered with oil but still alive. There have also been 3,606 birds, 508 sea turtles (already endangered) and 67 Marine mammals dead. These counts however, are only those found, the ones not found are feared to be several times that amount.
The brightest conclusion one can make here is, that so much progress has been made while the well was belching out it's enormous flow, perhaps it will not be long now until most things return to near normal with the oil flow stopped. The damage is done, but maybe very little more will come of it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I wonder whether this catastrophe will change BP's attitude towards safety...If it doesn't , I don't know what would. $20 billion dollars set aside for the damages. They have had to sell some of their assets to raise the money. Thanks for the comment, Jennifer.
Thanks for the info--I was wondering why "it" seems to be healing much better than anyone expected. Great topic and great info.SteveThanks Steve, I appeciate the comment.
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