Lingering Affects of Gulf Oil Spill

Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily, dead

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Sat Feb 19, 8:53 pm ET


WASHINGTON – Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a top scientist's video and slides that she says demonstrate the oil isn't degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor.

That report is at odds with a recent report by the BP spill compensation czar that said nearly all will be well by 2012.

At a science conference in Washington Saturday, marine scientist Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia aired early results of her December submarine dives around the BP spill site. She went to places she had visited in the summer and expected the oil and residue from oil-munching microbes would be gone by then. It wasn't.

"There's some sort of a bottleneck we have yet to identify for why this stuff doesn't seem to be degrading," Joye told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual conference in Washington. Her research and those of her colleagues contrasts with other studies that show a more optimistic outlook about the health of the gulf, saying microbes did great work munching the oil.

"Magic microbes consumed maybe 10 percent of the total discharge, the rest of it we don't know," Joye said, later adding: "there's a lot of it out there."

The head of the agency in charge of the health of the Gulf said Saturday that she thought that "most of the oil is gone." And a Department of Energy scientist, doing research with a grant from BP from before the spill, said his examination of oil plumes in the water column show that microbes have done a "fairly fast" job of eating the oil. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab scientist Terry Hazen said his research differs from Joye's because they looked at different places at different times.

Joye's research was more widespread, but has been slower in being published in scientific literature.

In five different expeditions, the last one in December, Joye and colleagues took 250 cores of the sea floor and travelled across 2,600 square miles. Some of the locations she had been studying before the oil spill on April 20 and said there was a noticeable change. Much of the oil she found on the sea floor — and in the water column — was chemically fingerprinted, proving it comes from the BP spill. Joye is still waiting for results to show other oil samples she tested are from BP's Macondo well.

She also showed pictures of oil-choked bottom-dwelling creatures. They included dead crabs and brittle stars — starfish like critters that are normally bright orange and tightly wrapped around coral. These brittle stars were pale, loose and dead. She also saw tube worms so full of oil they suffocated.

"This is Macondo oil on the bottom," Joye said as she showed slides. "This is dead organisms because of oil being deposited on their heads."

Joye said her research shows that the burning of oil left soot on the sea floor, which still had petroleum products. And even more troublesome was the tremendous amount of methane from the BP well that mixed into the Gulf and was mostly ignored by other researchers.

Joye and three colleagues last week published a study in Nature Geoscience that said the amount of gas injected into the Gulf was the equivalent of between 1.5 and 3 million barrels of oil.

"The gas is an important part of understanding what happened," said Ian MacDonald of Florida State University.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco told reporters Saturday that "it's not a contradiction to say that although most of the oil is gone, there still remains oil out there."

Earlier this month, Kenneth Feinberg, the government's oil compensation fund czar, said based on research he commissioned he figured the Gulf of Mexico would almost fully recover by 2012 — something Joye and Lubchenco said isn't right.

"I've been to the bottom. I've seen what it looks like with my own eyes. It's not going to be fine by 2012," Joye told The Associated Press. "You see what the bottom looks like, you have a different opinion."

NOAA chief Lubchenco said "even though the oil degraded relatively rapidly and is now mostly but not all gone, damage done to a variety of species may not become obvious for years to come."

Lubchenco Saturday also announced the start of a Gulf restoration planning process to get the Gulf back to the condition it was on Apr. 19, the day before the spill. That program would eventually be paid for BP and other parties deemed responsible for the spill. This would be separate from an already begun restoration program that would improve all aspects of the Gulf, not just the oil spill, but has not been funded by the government yet, she said.

The new program, which is part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment program, is part of the oil spill litigation — or out-of-court settlement — in which the polluters pay for overall damage to the ecosystem and efforts to return it to normal. This is different than paying compensation to people and businesses directly damaged by the spill.

The process will begin with public meetings all over the region.

___

Online:

Joye's website (in new window): http://www.marsci.uga.edu/directory/mjoye.htm

NOAA's restoration site (in new window): http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov

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Volunteers Needed for Oil Spill Clean Up

Volunteers Needed for Oil Spill Clean Up

Blog host comment:
"When will we ever learn, when will weeee eeeeeveeeer learn?" You know the song? Dead oil covered creatures, shows our lack of intelligence.

Oil for lubrication, not for propulsion or heating,etc.

This is the 21st century, smart energy, wind power, solar power, electric vehicles, hi-tech batteries, etc.

From MSNBC:
Gulf of Mexico oil spill: How to help
Posted: Saturday, May 01, 2010 4:12 PM
Posted by Ian Sager, msnbc.com
As rough seas slow the cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico, individuals and conservation organizations are readying themselves for the fight to protect the land and wildlife that sits in the path of the sheen. Here’s how you can help.
May 2
Msnbc.com reader Corla Coles points out the efforts of Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that invites salons, pet groomers and the abundantly coiffed to send leftover hair trimmings for use in highly absorbent hair mats and booms. According to their website, "Hair is very efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces like your skin and out of the water, even petroleum oil."
The group boasts twelve locations across region that are ready to receive human and pet hair, and hundreds of volunteers participating in "Boom B Q" parties stuffing the donated locks into recycled nylons to form booms that can be strung along beaches and marshes.
Related link: Organization combing country for spare hair to fight oil slick
May 1
To report injured or oiled wildlife, call 1-866-557-1401. To report spill-related damage, call 1-800,440-0858, and to inquire about volunteering, or to report oil on the shore, call 1-866-448-5816.
The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board is connecting BP with fisherman looking to aid in the cleanup effort. If interested, call 281-366-5511 or e-mail, HorizonSupport@OEGLLC.com.
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is looking for volunteers to “fill a variety of needs.” Pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) are “strongly encouraged” to register.
The National Audubon Society is recruiting volunteers in the fight to save “ecologically sensitive areas.” Visit their website to fill out a volunteer registration form.
OilSpillVolunteers.com also provides the opportunity sign up and assist with the cleanup.
While their website says volunteers are not yet needed, Mobile Baykeeper is urging anyone who is interested to call their office at 251-433-4229 or e-mail http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/controlpanel/blogs/info@mobilebaykeeper.org.
Have we missed any opportunities that you've noticed? Leave a comment.
http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/01/2291388.aspx?CommentPosted=true#commentmessage


From tonic.com:

As Tonic readers know, millions of gallons of oil are flowing from the leak caused by BP's rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico to the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Wildlife and conservation groups warn that the ever-widening slick could pose complete disaster for the shoreline flora and fauna, and volunteers are urgently needed to help when the time arrives, which could be in the hours or days to come. Even before the oil reaches a beach, you can get involved: environmental groups suggest removing driftwood, dry grass, seaweed and debris from areas expected to be effected before it becomes soaked in oil. If you see any wildlife covered in oil, don't capture it but call 866-557-1401. To report areas with oil ashore, call 866-448-5816.
We've compiled a list of groups who need you to sign up now. And if you help, please let us know. We'd love to hear your stories and see your pictures.
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, the National Wildlife Federation, the National Audubon Society, and the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program are registering volunteers to assist with a variety of needs — from oiled wildlife recovery to monitoring and photographing oil movement to providing a boat and driver for response activities. No specific training or experience is necessary, although you must be at least 18 years old to volunteer. Some tasks, such as food preparation, may require no training. Other tasks, such as washing oiled birds, may require specific certifications or skills. They encourage pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians and those with HAZWOPER training to volunteer. Anyone with experience in dealing with wildlife handling, rehabilitation, or hazardous materials clean up is also strongly encouraged to register. Click here to sign up.
The National Audubon Society is seeking volunteers wishing to clean up birds. Click here to register.
The Sierra Club is mobilizing volunteers, and will connect you with opportunities to help. Please click here to sign up and for more information.
Save Our Seabirds is a Sarasota, Florida-based bird rescue group that is looking for volunteers and support as its response team prepares to help oiled wildlife. Please click here to fill out their online form or call 941-388-3010.
The site http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com/ had almost 3,000 people register in its first 24 hours of operation. Volunteers who sign up online will be contacted by organizations to assist in the clean-up of barrier islands or beaches, or to help with wildlife clean-up. Volunteers with specific skills or boats will be categorized as well to streamline matching them with volunteer needs as they are identified.
Global Green USA, a nonprofit focused on the creation of green buildings and cities, is signing up volunteers to help clean up the spill. Click here to sign up.
The Gulf Restoration Network, a New Orleans-based nonprofit committed to keeping the Gulf of Mexico clean, seeks volunteers to help with clean-up efforts. Please click here to sign up.
The Alabama Coastal Foundation, which works to improve and protect the quality of Alabama's coastal resources, is collecting contact information from volunteers for cleanup efforts along the Alabama coast if the spill reaches its shores. To register, and for the latest information on the spill, go to http://www.joinacf.org/oil_info.htmll or call the Mobile-based nonprofit at 251-990-6002.
The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is looking for volunteers to help reduce the potential impact of the oil spill in Mobile Bay. To register, go to their website or call 251-431-6409.
The Mobile Baykeeper is another Alabama group seeking volunteers in case the oil pushes into the state's shores. If you are interested in volunteering to reduce the impacts of the oil spill to the Bay, please call their office at 251-433-4229 or e-mail info@mobilebaykeeper.org with your name, address, phone number, e-mail and available resources.
The Pascagoula River Audubon Center, part of Audobon Mississippi, is organizing training on cleaning wildlife affected by the oil spill. Volunteers may register their contact information here.
The city of Biloxi, Mississippi is signing up volunteers at www.biloxi.ms.us/Volunteer.asp in case the oil reaches its shores.
For more information on volunteer opportunities as they arise, get on Twitter and search #oilspill. On Facebook, keep checking the Louisiana Shore Cleanup group.

http://www.tonic.com/article/how-you-can-volunteer-to-clean-up-the-gulf-coast-oil-spill/

Links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/deepwater-horizon-oil-spi_n_558736.html

http://www.pnj.com/article/20100502/NEWS01/100502010/1052

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2960914/volunteers_for_oil_spill_cleanup_frustrated.html?cat=3

http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/05/volunteers_urged_to_get_traini.html

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/30/impact.oil.spill/index.html · Cached page

http://www.pollution-control.suite101.com/article.cfm/training_for_oil_spill_volunteers · Cached page

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0501/C-mon-how-big-is-the-Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-really · Cached page

http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com/ · Cached page

http://news.discovery.com/animals/oil-spill-wildlife-clean-up-process.html


Top of blog http://www.usaalternativeenergynow.blogspot.com/

Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico 01 May 2010

SPOT5 / Imagery processed at CST
This satellite image shows vessels at the source of the leaking oil, at the same location where just a week before the platform Deepwater Horizon sank after burning for two days.

Gulf spill balloons, could move east
Rough seas hamper cleanup; Obama to visit Sunday

By ALLEN G. BREED, SETH BORENSTEIN
updated 7:02 p.m. ET, Sat., May 1, 2010
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VENICE, La. - Gloom settled over the American coastline from Louisiana to Florida on Saturday as a massive oil slick spewing from a ruptured underwater well kept growing, and experts warned that an uncontrolled gusher could create a nightmare scenario if the Gulf Stream carries it toward the Atlantic.
President Barack Obama planned to visit the region Sunday to assess the situation amid criticism that the government and oil company BP PLC should have done more to stave off the disaster. Meanwhile, efforts to stem the flow and remove oil from the surface by skimming it, burning it or spiking it with chemicals to disperse it continued with little success.
"These people, we've been beaten down, disaster after disaster," said Matt O'Brien of Venice, whose fledgling wholesale shrimp dock business is under threat from the spill.

"They've all got a long stare in their eye," he said. "They come asking me what I think's going to happen. I ain't got no answers for them. I ain't got no answers for my investors. I ain't got no answers."
He wasn't alone. As the spill surged toward disastrous proportions, critical questions lingered: Who created the conditions that caused the gusher? Did BP and the government react robustly enough in its early days? And, most important, how can it be stopped before the damage gets worse?
Size of spill unknownThe Coast Guard conceded Saturday that it's nearly impossible to know how much oil has gushed since the April 20 rig explosion, after saying earlier it was at least 1.6 million gallons — equivalent to about 2½ Olympic-sized swimming pools. The blast killed 11 workers and threatened beaches, fragile marshes and marine mammals, along with fishing grounds that are among the world's most productive.
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Video

Bad weather stalls oil spill cleanupMay 1: Lester Holt and Anne Thompson report from Venice, Louisiana.
Today showEven at that rate, the spill should eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident as the worst U.S. oil disaster in history within about a week. But a growing number of experts warned that the situation may already be much worse.

The oil slick over the water's surface appeared to triple in size over the past two days, which could indicate an increase in the rate that oil is spewing from the well, according to one analysis of images collected from satellites and reviewed by the University of Miami. While it's hard to judge the volume of oil by satellite because of depth, it does show an indication of change in growth, experts said.
"The spill and the spreading is getting so much faster and expanding much quicker than they estimated," said Hans Graber, executive director of the university's Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing. "Clearly, in the last couple of days, there was a big change in the size."
Florida State University oceanography professor Ian R. MacDonald said his examination of Coast Guard charts and satellite images indicated that 8 million to 9 million gallons had already spilled by April 28.
Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer for exploration and production, said it was impossible to know just how much oil was gushing from the well, but said the company and federal officials were preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Click for related content
Spill draws flock of lawyers to GulfLeak is the bad one experts fearedField Notes: Couldn't be worse timing for wildlifeNewsweek: Will the oil spill kill offshore drilling?Gulf spill: Worse than Exxon Valdez?Interactive: Track the oil sheenTop 10 worst oil spills
Environmental disaster possibleOil industry experts and officials are reluctant to describe what, exactly, a worst-case scenario would look like — but if the oil gets into the Gulf Stream and carries it to the beaches of Florida, it stands to be an environmental and economic disaster of epic proportions.
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Video

What's at stake for the environment?May 1: NBC's Mark Potter reports on the impact of the oil spill.
Today show
The Deepwater Horizon well is at the end of one branch of the Gulf Stream, the famed warm-water current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic. Several experts said that if the oil enters the stream, it would flow around the southern tip of Florida and up the eastern seaboard.
"It will be on the East Coast of Florida in almost no time," Graber said. "I don't think we can prevent that. It's more of a question of when rather than if."
At the joint command center run by the government and BP near New Orleans, a Coast Guard spokesman maintained Saturday that the leakage remained around 5,000 barrels, or 200,000 gallons, per day.
But Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, appointed Saturday by Obama to lead the government's oil spill response, said no one could pinpoint how much oil is leaking from the ruptured well because of its depth — about a mile underwater.
"Any exact estimation of what's flowing out of those pipes down there is impossible," he told reporters on a conference call.
CONTINUED : Growing crisis
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Bad weather stalls oil spill cleanup
Video

Bad weather stalls oil spill cleanupMay 1: Lester Holt and Anne Thompson report from Venice, Louisiana.
Today show
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Expert: Attack oil spill at the sourceMay 1: Cleaning up oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico is important, but the deep-sea well will keep spewing oil until it is capped, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said Saturday.
Today show
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Click for related content
Spill draws flock of lawyers to GulfLeak is the bad one experts fearedField Notes: Couldn't be worse timing for wildlifeNewsweek: Will the oil spill kill offshore drilling?Gulf spill: Worse than Exxon Valdez?Interactive: Track the oil sheenTop 10 worst oil spills
Environmental disaster possibleOil industry experts and officials are reluctant to describe what, exactly, a worst-case scenario would look like — but if the oil gets into the Gulf Stream and carries it to the beaches of Florida, it stands to be an environmental and economic disaster of epic proportions.

The Deepwater Horizon well is at the end of one branch of the Gulf Stream, the famed warm-water current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic. Several experts said that if the oil enters the stream, it would flow around the southern tip of Florida and up the eastern seaboard.
"It will be on the East Coast of Florida in almost no time," Graber said. "I don't think we can prevent that. It's more of a question of when rather than if."
At the joint command center run by the government and BP near New Orleans, a Coast Guard spokesman maintained Saturday that the leakage remained around 5,000 barrels, or 200,000 gallons, per day.

But Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, appointed Saturday by Obama to lead the government's oil spill response, said no one could pinpoint how much oil is leaking from the ruptured well because of its depth — about a mile underwater.
"Any exact estimation of what's flowing out of those pipes down there is impossible," he told reporters on a conference call.

Bad weather stalls oil spill cleanup

May 1: Eleven days after an oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, rough seas continue to hamper efforts to cleanup as much as 1 million gallons of oil that is threatening wildlife and commercial fishing. Lester Holt and Anne Thompson report from Venice, Louisiana.

Read more at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36870222/ns/us_news-environment/?GT1=43001

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