See?
I told you the "top-kill" procedure would be temporary at best. Now, that was even more temporary than hoped, but what happens now? I have come across material that said BP is done trying to stop it and will focus on capture/cleanup, but all is not lost. Well, it is... but I'm trying to be optimistic and being a grouch about the situation is not going to help efforts anyway, right?
The next move will likely be an LMRP - "lower marine riser cap" - which involves ATTEMPTING to cut into the damaged part of the well and insert a shut off valve. Okay, this is another risky move that will take an estimated 4 days to complete. Who knows how long before they even know if it worked. Amongst other failed attempts so far was a large box placed over the leak and a tube inserted to suck out the oil. What about drilling relief wells, you ask? There is so much controversy due to this spill that the public just wants the darn leak plugged so we can truly assess the situation. Plus, relief wells is at least 3 months away.
I found good information on the Voice of America news site:
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/BP-Will-Try-New-Option-to-Plug-Oil-Leak-After-Top-Kill-Failure-95213634.html
Hey, this is scary stuff. People are NOT overreacting to the impacts and implications of this disaster. It SHOULD be headline news everyday for as long as possible. Hurricane season is around the corner and who knows what that will bring. Unfortunately, not even the Weather Channel can prepare us this early. After a few "quiet" seasons, many here in Florida are holding their breath and try to carry about normally until the weather, or oil, or BOTH reach our shores.
So keep yourself up to date on environmental situations in general. Yes, this is something focused on the southeast, but there are devastating impacts from our species that affect locations and ecosystems all over the world. Do not lose sight of how to keep your local environment healthy just because another coast is having bigger problems. ALL the ecosystems are important, and often we do not realize exactly how important until they are damaged beyond restoration.
Remember that during your BBQ this Memorial Day weekend. And be sure to raise your flag and your awareness for our soldiers and veterans too this holiday.
-Callie
Showing posts with label oil spill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oil spill. Show all posts
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Oil Spill Stopped?
Well, the latest reports coming out of the Gulf of Mexico are stating that the oil leak is now considered capped. Unfortunately, there are 3 separate places where the lines had been leaking... so it is not yet clear if ALL of the leaks are stopped. The May 17th issue of TIME magazine's article "The Big Spill" has great detail and diagrams explaining the entire disaster in layman's terms.
They used a method called "top-kill" to stop the leak. Essentially, tons of mud and debris are stuffed down on top of the leak. Then, after the pressure is low enough, cement is funneled down to the area to "permanently" stop the problem. But in actuality, this method is only a temporary solution.
But at least now the clean up efforts will be more productive for the time being. Let's just hope everyone (public, politicians, AND BP) bears in mind that this disaster is NOT over yet. The carnage and real impacts of this spill have only just begun.
Take care, and take initiative!
-Callie
They used a method called "top-kill" to stop the leak. Essentially, tons of mud and debris are stuffed down on top of the leak. Then, after the pressure is low enough, cement is funneled down to the area to "permanently" stop the problem. But in actuality, this method is only a temporary solution.
But at least now the clean up efforts will be more productive for the time being. Let's just hope everyone (public, politicians, AND BP) bears in mind that this disaster is NOT over yet. The carnage and real impacts of this spill have only just begun.
Take care, and take initiative!
-Callie
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Oil Spill: Part III... still going
All right, I’ve been trying so hard not to simply rant on and on about the Oil Spill and its impacts, considering it has not (YET) reached my own shoreline. But this is a great video clip that was released by CNN yesterday regarding this infamous spill:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/05/05/am.mattingly.oil.wildlife.cnn
... and hey, anyone who knows me understands I'm a sucker for sea turtles...
RATING: ~~~~ (4 out of 5 waves) hey, it is a short first-hand clip; there really is no excuse not to watch it (unless you have dial-up, and even then it is worth the wait)
One of the most important things to note about this piece is the “treatment” of the oil spill. This process causes the oil to break into small (relatively speaking) droplets that are still just as dangerous as the large slick itself to the marine environment. Animals ingest it, get coated in it, and breathe it in… all with bad results. To give you some information on the behavior of oil in the water, I found a website that explains everything clearly and accurately based the knowledge I have (which isn’t bad I dare say). The only disclaimer I have is at the end where it states, “oil in the marine environment rapidly loses its original properties and disintegrates into hydrocarbon fractions” – define rapidly, okay? But there is a notation about the amount of oil released, so remember that too.
http://www.offshore-environment.com/oil.html
I promise that I am making a sincere effort to approach this incident without the emotional diatribe that I break into in real life, but anyone who is unaffected by the impending tragedy that will befall Florida’s shores is a nimrod that deserves to be publicly flogged. So there. In addition, I am EXTREMELY annoyed at the shock and awe of the media’s reaction to the “it could reach Florida” … uh, every heard of the Gulfstream? Geez.
I also find it fascinating, although I don’t know whether that is positive or negative, that Deepwater Horizon created a response page on Facebook. How public relations in a time of instant feedback is changing the world. All I can say is- beware of propaganda. When information is so freely provided to the public, odds are it is a watered-down version of the truth (if truthful at all). Even as you read this blog, understand it all amounts to one human providing information to another. No matter what I read, I will not blog about it based on one lone source or other blog. Information must come from somewhere – which is why I try to give you useful links to get to the real goods as fast as possible.
Oh, one last POSITIVE note… I have not heard anything from the media, but I have a friend whose father works for the Colgate company, which has donated “tons of soap” to be used to help clean animals affected by the spill. A spot check via Google left me without corroboration on that one, however.
Take care and use a water purifying system at home instead of bottled water every time, okay?
-Callie
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/05/05/am.mattingly.oil.wildlife.cnn
... and hey, anyone who knows me understands I'm a sucker for sea turtles...
RATING: ~~~~ (4 out of 5 waves) hey, it is a short first-hand clip; there really is no excuse not to watch it (unless you have dial-up, and even then it is worth the wait)
One of the most important things to note about this piece is the “treatment” of the oil spill. This process causes the oil to break into small (relatively speaking) droplets that are still just as dangerous as the large slick itself to the marine environment. Animals ingest it, get coated in it, and breathe it in… all with bad results. To give you some information on the behavior of oil in the water, I found a website that explains everything clearly and accurately based the knowledge I have (which isn’t bad I dare say). The only disclaimer I have is at the end where it states, “oil in the marine environment rapidly loses its original properties and disintegrates into hydrocarbon fractions” – define rapidly, okay? But there is a notation about the amount of oil released, so remember that too.
http://www.offshore-environment.com/oil.html
I promise that I am making a sincere effort to approach this incident without the emotional diatribe that I break into in real life, but anyone who is unaffected by the impending tragedy that will befall Florida’s shores is a nimrod that deserves to be publicly flogged. So there. In addition, I am EXTREMELY annoyed at the shock and awe of the media’s reaction to the “it could reach Florida” … uh, every heard of the Gulfstream? Geez.
I also find it fascinating, although I don’t know whether that is positive or negative, that Deepwater Horizon created a response page on Facebook. How public relations in a time of instant feedback is changing the world. All I can say is- beware of propaganda. When information is so freely provided to the public, odds are it is a watered-down version of the truth (if truthful at all). Even as you read this blog, understand it all amounts to one human providing information to another. No matter what I read, I will not blog about it based on one lone source or other blog. Information must come from somewhere – which is why I try to give you useful links to get to the real goods as fast as possible.
Oh, one last POSITIVE note… I have not heard anything from the media, but I have a friend whose father works for the Colgate company, which has donated “tons of soap” to be used to help clean animals affected by the spill. A spot check via Google left me without corroboration on that one, however.
Take care and use a water purifying system at home instead of bottled water every time, okay?
-Callie
Friday, April 23, 2010
Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Well, here we go again. An accident happened on a British Petroleum oil rig that was doing exploratory work to find a new spot to drill in the Gulf of Mexico, not far from the LA and MS coasts. The rig caught fire on Tuesday and actually sank on Earth Day, yesterday. I chose to post an NPR article because I find their work is typically objective, and does not typically attack any person or company so you can draw your own conclusions.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126214809
Let's put the irony of an oil spill on Earth Day aside and discuss the issues at hand. It appears 11 crew members have died with 4 more in serious condition. There are currently ??? rigs active in the Gulf of Mexico alone, and although BP is taking the initiative with the clean up, the potential disaster could be as much as 336,000 gallons a day that may leak from the reservoir that was tapped and about to be plugged so they could return and pump for real production. Keep this in mind, that leak would have to continue at that pace for an entire month in order to reach the status of the Exxon Valdez's 11,000,000 gallons... yeah, that's millions.
This article gives some insight into modern day clean up procedures and the Marine Spill Response Corp. has the reins. This is an independent non-profit created in 1990 specifically to handle problems like this one. What scares me is the necessity for its creation in the first place. I thought you might like to learn more about this company, so I have included their website too:
http://www.msrc.org/
I plan to watch the progression of this issue closely in the media - will it get the warranted attention? Will it get the press of disasters such as the Exxon Valdez? I know individuals who will not stop at an Exxon station solely because of that environmental debacle. So, how will BP be portrayed in this case?
There are also many discussions about the dangers of offshore drilling. Just in case you don't make it all the way to the end of the article, this rig was inspected 3 times THIS year alone - with the most recent inspection being April 1st.... Hm, that IS April Fool's Day, do you think...? nah, I'm sure the inspector took everything very seriously.
RATING: ~~~~~ (5 out of 5 waves) you NEED to read this article and get people talking about these issues
My Earth Day was spent with family, friends, and at Whole Foods Market's Sierra Club benefit day. I bought my groceries, got a canvas bag to add to my collection, and attended Mommy & Baby Yoga with my 10-month old son.
How did you spend the day?
-Callie
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126214809
Let's put the irony of an oil spill on Earth Day aside and discuss the issues at hand. It appears 11 crew members have died with 4 more in serious condition. There are currently ??? rigs active in the Gulf of Mexico alone, and although BP is taking the initiative with the clean up, the potential disaster could be as much as 336,000 gallons a day that may leak from the reservoir that was tapped and about to be plugged so they could return and pump for real production. Keep this in mind, that leak would have to continue at that pace for an entire month in order to reach the status of the Exxon Valdez's 11,000,000 gallons... yeah, that's millions.
This article gives some insight into modern day clean up procedures and the Marine Spill Response Corp. has the reins. This is an independent non-profit created in 1990 specifically to handle problems like this one. What scares me is the necessity for its creation in the first place. I thought you might like to learn more about this company, so I have included their website too:
http://www.msrc.org/
I plan to watch the progression of this issue closely in the media - will it get the warranted attention? Will it get the press of disasters such as the Exxon Valdez? I know individuals who will not stop at an Exxon station solely because of that environmental debacle. So, how will BP be portrayed in this case?
There are also many discussions about the dangers of offshore drilling. Just in case you don't make it all the way to the end of the article, this rig was inspected 3 times THIS year alone - with the most recent inspection being April 1st.... Hm, that IS April Fool's Day, do you think...? nah, I'm sure the inspector took everything very seriously.
RATING: ~~~~~ (5 out of 5 waves) you NEED to read this article and get people talking about these issues
My Earth Day was spent with family, friends, and at Whole Foods Market's Sierra Club benefit day. I bought my groceries, got a canvas bag to add to my collection, and attended Mommy & Baby Yoga with my 10-month old son.
How did you spend the day?
-Callie
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