GOM Oil Spill - BP Stops Oil Leak

[JonathanBelles]

The oil has also reached the Mississippi Delta and its marshes. ---ABC News

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Truisms, I wondered if Underwater Sonography measuring might be a better means of estimating the plumes, amongst other like rate of flow, so I googled GOM, plumes and ultrasound and came up with this article from May 14, 2010. Of course underwater ultrasound is much akin to an obstetric ultrasound which is why, I guess, I wondered.

"BP, however, could try to measure the flow directly with off-the-shelf instruments routinely used in research on deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold hydrocarbon seeps, according to scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. They said devices that can essentially take a sonogram of the plume could be strapped to one of the robotic submarines that BP has deployed around the damaged well.

“You can use this type of technique to determine the velocity of the particles, and if you know what the area is, it’s relatively straightforward mathematics to determine what the volume is,” said Andy Bowen, director of the National Deep Submergence Facility at Woods Hole.

BP representatives have spoken extensively with Woods Hole scientists about using scientific instruments to measure the flow. But a BP spokesman, David Nicholas, said the company has decided to focus on stopping the leak rather than measuring it."

http://greenhouseneutralfoundation.org/articles/2010/05/14/5000-or-26000-barrels-a-day-size-of-gulf-oil-spill-is-a-guesstimate/

[Dionne]

I must be missing something.

We have a blown out well we cannot control.

We have the best technology available on the planet.

We're on the verge of closing ports.

We have crude in the gulf loop.

The military is in place.

What's wrong with this picture?

[CajunMama]

It's almost south of me.

Oil Reaches Acadiana, Another Fishing Area Closed

By Melissa Canone

Posted: May 18, 2010 4:23 PM
Updated: May 18, 2010 4:41 PM

The Louisiana departments of Health and Hospitals (DHH), and Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today the closure of recreational and commercial fishing activities, and oyster harvesting near Marsh Island (Iberia Parish) and in harvesting bed Area 28 due to confirmed reports of oil associated with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

LDWF Secretary Robert Barham announced the following closure to recreational and commercial fishing activities effective sunset today, May 18, 2010, due to confirmed reports of oil. LDWF staff documented oil on the Marsh Island beach, east of Southwest Pass.

Territorial Sea Closure
All state outside waters extending seaward of the inside/outside shrimp line from South Point of Marsh Island at 91 degrees 45 minutes 48 seconds west longitude westward to the eastern shore of Freshwater Bayou at 92 degrees 18 minutes 27 seconds west longitude.
All other closures remain in place.

Oyster Harvesting Closure
DHH Secretary Alan Levine and State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry signed the closure order for Area 28, which will take effect at sunset today, Tuesday, May 18. Area 28, which is south of Vermillion Bay, is west of the Mississippi River in Iberia Parish.
Areas 2 through 4, 8, 14, 15 and 17 also are closed. Areas 5, 6, 7, 9 and 13 were recently reopened.

Closures will remain in effect until officials have determined that environmental conditions are within the requirements specified by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program.

Additional Testing
LDWF and DHH continue to work together to assess closures in order to maintain the safety of Louisiana seafood.
DHH officials have also been working closely with other local, state and federal agencies to monitor the oil plume that continues to grow off of the Louisiana coastline for its potential impacts on oyster harvesting areas. Meanwhile, employees with DHH's Office of Public Health Molluscan Shellfish Program have continued regular testing of 8 million acres of coastal waters along the Louisiana shoreline.

In addition, DHH scientists and engineers are conducting enhanced testing of oyster meat taken from the closed beds to monitor the presence of oil, called hydrocarbon testing. Additional testing is also being conducted in unaffected oyster beds. These tests will create a baseline, which will be used to ensure the safety of oysters once the incident clears in order to reopen beds. Oysters being harvested in open areas are considered safe.
The public is encouraged to call a toll-free hotline, 1-800-256-2775, to report the presence of oil or an oil sheen.

[WeatherLovingDoc]

One respected reporter's view:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/gulf-oil-spill-government_n_580815.html

Gulf Oil Spill: Government Remains Blind To Underwater Oil Hazard

"The Obama administration is actively trying to dismiss media reports that vast plumes of oil lurk beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, unmeasured and uncharted.

But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose job it is to assess and track the damage being caused by the BP oil spill that began four weeks ago, is only monitoring what's visible -- the slick on the Gulf's surface -- and currently does not have a single research vessel taking measurements below.

The one ship associated with NOAA that had been doing such research is back in Pascagoula, Miss., having completed a week-long cruise during which scientists taking underwater samples found signs of just the kind of plume that environmentalists fear could have devastating effects on sea life of all shapes and sizes.

Meanwhile, the commander of the NOAA vessel that the White House on Friday claimed in a press release "is now providing information for oil spill related research" told HuffPost on Tuesday that he's actually far away, doing something else entirely.

"We are in the Western Gulf doing plankton research," said Commander Dave Score, reached by satellite phone on his research vessel, the Gordon Gunter. "So I really don't know. I'm just on orders."

Indeed, you can track the Gordon Gunter right here.

Two other NOAA research vessels are also in the area, but not monitoring the spill: The Thomas Jefferson, which has spent the last five days in Galveston, Texas; and the Oregon II, which has been under repair in Pascagoula for almost six months."...

Dan Froomkin May 18, 2010

[Stephanie]

I must be missing something.

We have a blown out well we cannot control.

We have the best technology available on the planet.

We're on the verge of closing ports.

We have crude in the gulf loop.

The military is in place.

What's wrong with this picture?

Good question...

[vbhoutex]

I heard on the news this evening that the tar balls had been identified as coming from Horizon, but I haven't looked for confirmation past what I heard.
I have to watch myself here, but the more I read and hear the more I smell possible collusion among some entities to keep the whole truth from coming out. I hope I am wrong! That really worries me!!

[psyclone]

i am not surprised if we determine for sure that the key west tar balls originated from the horizon. 8 inch tar balls are huge and some of these were reported that large. all we needed was a small portion of this oil to engage the loop current a week to 10 days ago to get those tar balls down there... and if these aren't from horizon they'll be there soon anyway. back on may 3rd a state of emergency was declared for the fl west coast north of sarasota. i immediately posted (in the florida weather thread) that this was needless and the east coast should be more concerned and i continue to believe that is the case. the only question at this point is will the oil be in large enough concentrations to be really destructive or more of an annoyance. time will tell. comparisons to valdez are bogus imo. this is light sweet crude (vs heavy) being dumped in a huge area (vs a small enclosed region) over an extended period of time (vs all at once) in a warm climate and warm water (vs cold on both counts). all those factors work in our favor assuming this gusher is halted relatively soon. evaporation, microbial action and dilution via stretching of the slick as it enters the loop current (think black hole event horizon as an analog) should give the keys and the east coast a logical rationale for cautious optimism in the face of what appears rather bleak news.

[arkess7]

This is just F****N HORRIFIC!!!! How can this happen??? Was it really a malfunction or was it sabatoge????????????? My prayers go out to the families, businesses on the beach all along the coast that are gona be hit HARD by this!!! The economy was bad enough for us all now this!!!!!!! I guess God let all this happen to us and all the poor wildlife, and sea creatures for a reason........?????????? I dread when it gets here in New Smyrna.....Prayers to all

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Coast Guard just announced: Lab: Fla. Keys tar balls not from Gulf oil spill
‎

[srainhoutx]

Coast Guard just announced: Lab: Fla. Keys tar balls not from Gulf oil spill
‎

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that tar balls found in Key West, Fla. in recent days don't match the chemical composition of oil leaking from the site of the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. A sampling of tar balls discovered on beaches at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Fla., Smathers Beach in Key West, Big Pine Key, Fla., and Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas National Park, Fla. were flown on Tuesday by a Coast Guard jet to New London, Conn. for testing and analysis. "The results of those tests conclusively show that the tar balls collected from Florida Keys beaches do not match the type of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico," the Coast Guard said. "The source of the tar balls remains unknown at this time."

[thetruesms]

On Monday, May 17 the US Coast Guard obtained the tar balls found in the Keys and sent the tar balls for analysis to determine if they are related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. On Wednesday, May 19, the Coast Guard received a report that stated the tar balls collected from Fort Zachary Taylor State Park are not related to the Deepwater Horizon incident. To view the United States Coast Guard's press release, visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com ... 86/554303/

In 2008 and 2009 there were 667 and 681 reports respectively of oil and petroleum incidents along Florida’s waterways and beaches so these types of occurrences are not as unusual as one might think. Specifically in the Florida Keys (Monroe County) there were 53 incidents in 2008 and 72 incidents in 2009 of oil and petroleum products being reported in their coastal waters.

For more information regarding Florida’s response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, please visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com

Echoing the Coast Guard report, this was posted on the DEP website - it contains a couple statistics on the frequency of tarballs in Florida

[WeatherLovingDoc]

[Edit: I now realize that Cycloneye had already posted this image on May 17. If mods wish to take it off to save bandwidth, that's fine with me. That SE tail is the subject of much expert and government consternation as I read it.}

The May 17, 2010 Terra Satellite captured it though, enabled by just the right sun reflection on the gray oil in the ocean: note the Southeast arm:



NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible satellite image of the Gulf oil spill on May 17 at 16:40 UTC (12:40 p.m. EDT) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Instrument on-board. The oil slick appears as a dull gray on the water's surface and stretches south from the Mississippi Delta with what looks like a tail. Text Credit: NASA Goddard / Rob Gutro

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/20100517_spill.html

[msbee]

I just received this email from Crownweather

We have put together a webpage dedicated to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Included on this page are current images, links and other information. If you know of additional information that would be helpful, please e-mail me. Also, if you could, please include a link to the information/image/etc.

The link for our oil spill webpage is
http://www.crownweather.com/?page_id=2242

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Markey to Get Live Feed of BP Oil Spill on Website

BP Acquiesces to Markey’s Request, Will Release Video Stream Tonight to Chairman

“This may be BP’s footage, but it’s America’s ocean. Now anyone will be able to see the real-time effects the BP spill is having on our ocean,” said Rep. Markey, who conducted a briefing today with independent scientists where he reiterated the call for a video feed. “This footage will aid analysis by independent scientists blocked by BP from coming to see the spill.”

http://www.globalwarming.house.gov Site crashed due to volume.

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream2&hpt=T2 working alternative

[brunota2003]

Hmmm...you know, more than just America uses the Gulf...likewise, what are the chances the oil reaches Cuba?

[dizzyfish]

USF has a ship that left port yesterday going to do 3 passes over the loop current. They are trying to get a handle on how much oil has made it to the current and also to get a better idea of how much of the oil is lurking beneath the surface that isn't being picked up by aerial images. Should be interesting to hear their results in a few days.

Side note... I attended SKYWARN recertification last night at a Coast Guard station in Hernando County and there was lots of talk about the how/when/where of the oil. Many worries about what might happen should we get unlucky enough to get a tropical system anywhere near the oil.

[Nimbus]

Governor Crist signed a state of emergency and there have been rumors about drawing up plans to evacuate Tampa Bay if the problem worsens. This is probably old news for most.

http://www.postonpolitics.com/2010/05/c ... h-florida/

Seems like an over reaction at the moment but state officials like to appear forward thinking.

Edit: here is the blog about evacuation.

http://www.examiner.com/x-17299-Hernand ... -announced

Hasn't made it to the Main Stream media yet.

[Sanibel]

I thought maybe they could try a liquid nitrogen injection into the Blowout Stack or well but the pros said it doesn't work at depth and delivery of the super-coolant is almost impossible at that depth. Perhaps they could use it to thicken viscosity during the mud shot.


That evacuation would include us too. I'll be all for it if it saves the Gulf. I think the Bermuda High easterlies are setting up but so are the westerly sea breezes.

[thetruesms]

Governor Crist signed a state of emergency and there have been rumors about drawing up plans to evacuate Tampa Bay if the problem worsens. This is probably old news for most.

http://www.postonpolitics.com/2010/05/c ... h-florida/

Seems like an over reaction at the moment but state officials like to appear forward thinking.

Edit: here is the blog about evacuation.

http://www.examiner.com/x-17299-Hernand ... -announced

Hasn't made it to the Main Stream media yet.

The emergency declaration is precautionary, to aid in the planning and preparation phase, so if the situation does get more serious there, they'll be ready to go instead of trying to catch up.

And the evacuation thing hasn't made the mainstream media because it's simply not true. No sources quoted, not even the mysterious "anonymous source". She's just making it up. Probably gets paid based on page views.