|
|
Post by B on May 22, 2010 16:55:24 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by B on Jun 5, 2010 15:29:37 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by JoJo on Jun 15, 2010 16:54:51 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by P(D)enny La(i)ne on Jun 17, 2010 7:05:03 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by B on Jun 18, 2010 1:09:49 GMT -5
*groan* What our local station plays before their BP stories:
|
|
|
|
Post by B on Jun 18, 2010 12:36:31 GMT -5
Gulf oil full of methane, adding new concerns
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100618/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spillBy MATTHEW BROWN and RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Writers Matthew Brown And Ramit Plushnick-masti, Associated Press Writers – Fri Jun 18, 10:23 am ET NEW ORLEANS – It is an overlooked danger in the oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of Mexico's fragile ecosystem. The oil emanating from the seafloor contains about 40 percent methane, compared with about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits, said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer who is studying the impact of methane from the spill. That means huge quantities of methane have entered the Gulf, scientists say, potentially suffocating marine life and creating "dead zones" where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives. "This is the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," Kessler said. Methane is a colorless, odorless and flammable substance that is a major component in the natural gas used to heat people's homes. Petroleum engineers typically burn off excess gas attached to crude before the oil is shipped off to the refinery. That's exactly what BP has done as it has captured more than 7.5 million gallons of crude from the breached well. A BP spokesman said the company was burning about 30 million cubic feet of natural gas daily from the source of the leak, adding up to about 450 million cubic feet since the containment effort started 15 days ago. That's enough gas to heat about 450,000 homes for four days. But that figure does not account for gas that eluded containment efforts and wound up in the water, leaving behind huge amounts of methane. Scientists are still trying to measure how much has escaped into the water and how it may damage the Gulf and it creatures. The dangerous gas has played an important role throughout the disaster and response. A bubble of methane is believed to have burst up from the seafloor and ignited the rig explosion. Methane crystals also clogged a four-story containment box that engineers earlier tried to place on top of the breached well. Now it is being looked at as an environmental concern. The small microbes that live in the sea have been feeding on the oil and natural gas in the water and are consuming larger quantities of oxygen, which they need to digest food. As they draw more oxygen from the water, it creates two problems. When oxygen levels drop low enough, the breakdown of oil grinds to a halt; and as it is depleted in the water, most life can't be sustained. (more at link)
|
|
|
|
Post by Jai Guru Deva on Jun 30, 2010 14:49:17 GMT -5
www.youtube.com/watch?Photos Of BP Oil SlickFaul McWannabe was trying to link the oil spill with climate change. I don't think he was trying to say the cause of the disaster was global warming, but that it will affect it. Local water temperatures may first be affected because oil absorbs heat from solar radiation, and then transfer that heat into the water via conduction and convection. In regard to global warming and ice caps, if the oil does get into the Gulf Stream, and most computer models show it doing just that, then temprature change could occur in the far North Atlantic. There's also the global wind patterns wherby warm wind currents could end up affecting cool climates, and the methane underneath the surface of the ocean.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jai Guru Deva on Jul 21, 2010 10:48:32 GMT -5
Now China has a big problem with an oil spill in the Yellow Sea as a result of a broken pipeline. International waters are in danger of being contaminated. Last year a Hong Kong company was responsible for an oil spill in Australia that threatened the Great Barrier Reef.
|
|
|
|
Post by B on Jul 25, 2010 18:43:42 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by P(D)enny La(i)ne on Sept 2, 2010 11:18:50 GMT -5
Yet again... Oil rig explodes in Gulf of MexicoPosted: Sep 02, 2010 11:19 AM EDT Updated: Sep 02, 2010 12:09 PM EDT  VERMILION BAY, LA (WAFB) - The Coast Guard is responding to another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Coast Guard, 13 people were onboard when it exploded and caught fire Thursday morning. Everyone is accounted for. Officials are reporting one injury. The injured worker is being taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma. The other workers are in the water in immersion suits. The rig is located about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay. Rescue choppers from New Orleans and Houston are responding. The explosion happened around 9:30 a.m. and as of 10:30 a.m. it was still on fire. Coast Guard officials said they do not yet know if there is any type of leak associated with this explosion. They said there are reports it was not actively producing product, but they will investigate whether there is any type of environmental impact. The rig is known as "Vermilion 398." The rig is owned by Mariner Energy, which is based in Houston, and is in water about 2,500 feet deep. The company has an office in Lafayette. This recent explosion is west of the one that happened on April 20 which caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=13089364 |
|
|
|
Post by B on Nov 23, 2011 15:45:30 GMT -5
|
|
