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  #11  
Old 05-07-2010, 03:18 PM
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You guys have a lot of valid concerns and comments that should be voiced and discussed. I've created a thread just for that at:

"Oil Spill, REACTION, concerns, ideas, help needed, tell us here, Deep Horizon Blowout"
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=9623

I was hoping to save these two threads for updates. Lots of people are looking in.

Good luck to us.
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Last edited by ricki; 05-25-2010 at 11:10 AM.
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  #12  
Old 05-07-2010, 03:36 PM
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Updates for today:


"Dark clouds of smoke and fire emerge as oil burns during a controlled fire in the Gulf of Mexico"

"May 7, 2010 Operations:

The Unified Area Command continues to work closely together with the Responsible Party and Federal, State, local and tribal partners in anticipating requirements, identifying response options, and rapidly providing response support.

The following is a synopsis of our daily response efforts:

Total Vessels (including tugs and skimmers): 256
Boom deployed: 788,085 feet
Boom available: 1,287,764 feet
Oil and Water Mix - Recovered: Approximately 1.89 million gallons
Dispersant Used : 267,195 gallons
Dispersant available: 317,591 gallons
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV): 4
Overall Personnel Responding: 8,497

In addition to the overall personnel responding, more than 2,500 volunteers have been trained to assist in the response effort.

10 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines. These areas include:

Biloxi, Miss.
Pensacola, Fla.
Venice, La.
Pascagoula, Miss.
Port Sulphur, La.
Port Fourchon, La.
Gulfport, Miss.
Dauphin Island, Ala.
Shell Beach, La.
Slidell, La.

Weather conditions for May 7: Winds from the southeast at 10 knots, 1-3 foot seas, light chop in protected waters."


"Containment Dome Nearly in Place
GIANT STRUCTURE BEING LOWERED OVER BLOWN-OUT WELL

(AP) – The big dome is nearly there. With the guidance of undersea robots, crews in the Gulf of Mexico are gingerly lowering the 100-ton concrete-and-steel box over a blown-out well on the ocean floor this morning. If all goes well—and we won't know until Sunday when it's fully operational—it will collect 85% of the oil spewing into the Gulf and funnel it up to a tanker.

The box was lowered into the oily water shortly after 10pm last night to begin its descent into position over the gusher. Underwater robots have been clearing pieces of pipe and other debris near where the box will be placed to avoid complications. "We haven't done this before," said a BP spokesman. "It's very complex and we can't guarantee it." The quest took on added urgency as oil yesterday reached several barrier islands off the Louisiana coast that are fragile animal habitats. "

Continued at:
http://www.newser.com/story/88061/co...-in-place.html



The mobile offshore drilling unit Q4000 lowers a pollution containment chamber May 6, 2010. The chamber was designed to cap the oil discharge that was a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident.



"NOAA Expands Commercial and Recreational Fishing Closure in Oil-Affected Portion of Gulf of Mexico
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse....c/2931/541659/



A pod of Bottle Nose dolphins swim under the oily water of Chandeleur Sound, La., Thursday.



Photos from: http://www.newser.com/story/88061/co...-in-place.html
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Last edited by ricki; 05-09-2010 at 08:41 AM.
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  #13  
Old 05-09-2010, 08:27 AM
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Serious problem with containment concept:

"Biloxi, Mississippi (CNN) -- The effort to place a massive containment dome over a gushing underwater wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico was dealt a setback when a large volume of hydrates -- icelike crystals that form when gas combines with water -- accumulated inside the vessel, a BP official said Saturday.
The dome was moved off to the side of the wellhead and is resting on the seabed while crews work to overcome the challenge, a process expected to take at least two days, BP's chief operations officer Doug Suttles said.
Suttles declined to call it a failed operation but said "What we attempted to do last night didn't work."
Suttles said the gas hydrates are lighter than water and, as a result, made the dome buoyant. The crystals also blocked the top of the dome, which would prevent oil from being funneled up to a drill ship.
"We did anticipate hydrates being a problem, but not this significant [of one]," he said.
Two options officials are looking at to resolve the problem are heating the dome or adding methanol to dissolve the hydrates, Suttles said, adding that they are continuing to assess other methods to capturing the oil."

Video of containment problem at:
http://us.cnn.com/2010/US/05/08/gulf...ill/index.html



http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepwaterhorizonresponse/


From the BBC:



"Problems with containment box halt US Gulf oil leak fix
... Although the rig was operated by Transocean, it was leased by BP, which is responsible for cleaning the 3 million gallons that have so far leaked, creating a slick covering about 2,000 sq miles (5,200 sq km).
The company hopes the 98-tonne containment device, once operational, will allow it to collect oil leaking out of the well while it attempts to stop the leak altogether by drilling relief wells nearby.
On Friday, remote-controlled submersibles guided the 40ft (12m) funnel above the wellhead, 5,000 ft (1,500m) below the surface. The technology has only ever been used a few times in shallow waters.



BP initially said everything appeared to be going as planned, but on Saturday it said flammable gas hydrates - crystalline water-based solids physically resembling ice - had accumulated inside the device.
"As we were placing the dome over the leak source a large volume of hydrates formed inside the top of the dome, requiring us to move the dome to the side of the leak point," Mr Suttles told reporters in Robert, Louisiana.
"The dome is currently sitting on the seabed while we evaluate options to deal with the hydrate issue. We believe that it'll probably take the next two days to look for opportunities to overcome this challenge."
These could include using hot water to heat up the hydrates at the ocean floor, or using hydrocarbons like methanol to thin them out.
Doug Suttles, BP, explains the problem with the 'funnel'
"I wouldn't say it's failed yet," Mr Suttles added. "What I would say is what we attempted to do last night didn't work."
If the funnel fails to work, BP faces the prospect of drilling a relief well nearby to cut off the leaky oil well, which could take two to three months."

"A sheen of oil began arriving on barrier islands off the coast of Louisiana last week, and crews have been laying inflatable booms, spraying chemical dispersants and setting fire to the slick to try to keep it from coming ashore.
The US Coast Guard and BP said on Saturday that about 2.1 million gallons of an oil-water mix had been collected, about 10% of which was oil.
More than 160 miles (257 km) of booms had been put out and crews had used nearly 275,000 gallons of dispersants, they added.
Fears are growing that sea life may have been severely affected in the area, which includes vital spawning grounds for fish, shrimp and crabs."


Winds are up from the SE, may act to keep the plume out of the Loop Current for the time being.

Weather forecast for area:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lix/?n=embriefing
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Last edited by ricki; 05-09-2010 at 08:47 AM.
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  #14  
Old 05-12-2010, 04:22 PM
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"ROBERT, La. -- Oil and gas stream from the riser of the Deepwater Horizon well May 11, 2010. This video is from the larger of two existing leaks on the riser. This leak is located approximately 460 feet from the top of the blowout preventer and rests on the sea floor at a depth of about 5,000 feet."
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse....c/2931/548775/




"Venice, Louisiana (CNN) -- The "top hat" oil containment device has reached the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico and should be in position over a leaking well head and operational by the end of the week, BP said Wednesday.
A larger containment vessel was unsuccessful in stopping the flow of oil from the gusher about 5,000 feet underwater. The spill is sending 210,000 gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico each day.
The "top hat," a 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-diameter structure, weighs less than 2 tons. The structure was deployed by the drill ship Enterprise.
BP built the smaller dome after a much larger, four-story containment vessel designed to cap the larger of two leaks in the well developed glitches Saturday. Ice-like hydrate crystals formed when gas combined with water and blocked the top of the dome, making it buoyant.
The new device would keep most of the water out at the beginning of the capping process and would allow engineers to pump in methanol to keep the hydrates from forming, said Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer for exploration and production. Methanol is a simple alcohol that can be used as an antifreeze."

Continued at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/12/oil...ex.html?hpt=T1


Just because the surface slick, may eventually be out of sight, somewhat, there is still ill it will be causing. This New York Times article explores this in brief:



http://mediacompost.wordpress.com/20...ts-underwater/

.
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Last edited by ricki; 05-14-2010 at 08:47 AM.
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  #15  
Old 05-13-2010, 09:24 PM
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Oil Spill Volume Per Day Estimate LOW By Perhaps 1000%?

From NPR:
The volume of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig may be at least 10 times higher than previously estimated, NPR has learned.

The U.S. Coast Guard has estimated that oil was gushing from a broken pipe on the Gulf floor at the rate of 5,000 barrels (275,000 gallons) a day. But sophisticated scientific analysis of seafloor video made available Wednesday by the oil company BP shows that the true figure is closer to 70,000 (3,850,000 gallons) barrels a day, NPR's Richard Harris reports.

That means the oil spilling into the Gulf has already far exceeded the equivalent of the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker accident in Alaska, which spilled at least 250,000 barrels of oil.

The analysis was conducted by Steve Wereley, an associate professor at Purdue University, using a technique called particle image velocimetry. Harris tells Michele Norris that the method is accurate to a degree of plus or minus 20 percent. That means the flow could range between 56,000 barrels a day and 84,000 barrels a day.

Continued at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=126809525


And, as a result ...


"Congressman to launch inquiry on how much oil is gushing into Gulf
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 14, 2010 2:04 a.m. EDT

Rep. Edward Markey, holding a jar of oil taken from the Gulf of Mexico, wants to know how much oil is leaking.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Congressman said he will launch inquiry into how much oil is gushing into the gulf
Purdue University researcher thinks about 70,000 barrels of oil are leaking per day
BP spokesman says the company stands by its estimate of 5,000 barrels per day
(CNN) -- A U.S. congressman said he will launch a formal inquiry Friday into how much oil is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico after learning of independent estimates that are significantly higher than the amount BP officials have provided.
Rep. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said he will send a letter to BP and ask for more details from federal agencies about the methods they are using to analyze the oil leak. Markey, who chairs a congressional subcommittee on energy and the environment, said miscalculating the spill's volume may be hampering efforts to stop it."

"Associate professor Steve Wereley said he arrived at that number after spending two hours Thursday analyzing video of a spill using a technique called particle image velocimetry. He said there is a 20 percent margin of error, which means between 56,000 and 84,000 barrels could be leaking daily.
"You can't say with precision, but you can see there's definitely more coming out of that pipe than people thought. It's definitely not 5,000 barrels a day," Wereley said.
He said he reached his estimate of 70,000 barrels per day by calculating how far and how fast oil particles were moving in the video."

Continued at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/14/gul...ill/index.html


Reports say that BP has not denied the claim that their estimate of 5000 barrels per day is low but have merely implied it couldn't be definitely calculated and was not of particular importance*. Off by perhaps 1000 % with the fate of vast lengths of beaches and estuaries at risk? Assuming the release continues until the interception well is completed and placed into use, that is a lot of oil released. Say, 100 days flowing at 56,000 to 84,000 barrels per day (may well take longer). That equates to roughly 235 to 352 MILLION GALLONS OF OIL RELEASED, perhaps on the low side. The 100 day projection using 5000 barrels released per day totals a lot less, at 21 Million Gallons. When does understating the severity of something of this scale become a criminal offense in the interest of "spin doctoring?" Something similar was stated to have happened in the Exxon Valdez disaster. This spill is shaping up to be serious threat to national security and well being if allowed to continue long enough absent effective measures to halt the release. Time to take things much more seriously, with competent parties and effective oversight in place.


* "BP spokesman Mark Proegler said that the company stands by its 5,000 barrels per day estimate." "But there is no way to calculate a definite amount, he said.
"We are focused on stopping the leak and not measuring it," he said."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/14/gul...ill/index.html
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Last edited by ricki; 05-14-2010 at 09:40 AM.
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  #16  
Old 05-14-2010, 04:53 PM
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i heard from someone today they were able to stop one, maybe two, of the leaks. anyone know about this or is this nothing but a rumor
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Old 05-14-2010, 08:21 PM
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I haven't seen anything about a new leak stoppage other than what shows up in post #5 on the first page of this thread. They closed one of the three leaks but strangely said it didn't make an impact on the volume rate of flow of the overall release. I sure wish they had plugged all of them by this point but the various attempts continue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnian03 View Post
i heard from someone today they were able to stop one, maybe two, of the leaks. anyone know about this or is this nothing but a rumor
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Old 05-16-2010, 12:54 PM
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"Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Under the Gulf
Scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick in spots. The discovery is fresh evidence that the leak from the broken undersea well could be substantially worse than estimates that the government and BP have given.

“There’s a shocking amount of oil in the deep water, relative to what you see in the surface water,” said Samantha Joye, a researcher at the University of Georgia who is involved in one of the first scientific missions to gather details about what is happening in the gulf. “There’s a tremendous amount of oil in multiple layers, three or four or five layers deep in the water column.”


What is on the surface looks bad, what about what is beneath the surface?
http://www.livescience.com/

The plumes are depleting the oxygen dissolved in the gulf, worrying scientists, who fear that the oxygen level could eventually fall so low as to kill off much of the sea life near the plumes. "
Continued at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/us/16oil.html


"Researchers from the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology said Saturday they had detected the underwater oil plumes at depths between just beneath the surface to more than 4,000 feet.

Three or four large plumes have been found, at least one that is 10 miles long and a mile wide, said Samantha Joye, a marine science professor at the University of Georgia.
Researchers Vernon Asper and Arne Dierks said in Web posts that the plumes were "perhaps due to the deep injection of dispersants which BP has stated that they are conducting." BP has won government approval to use chemicals on the oil near where it is gushing to break it up before it rises to the surface.

The researchers were also testing the effects of large amounts of subsea oil on oxygen levels in the water. The oil can deplete oxygen in the water, harming plankton and other tiny creatures that serve as food for a wide variety of sea creatures.

Oxygen levels in some areas have dropped 30 percent, and should continue to drop, Joye said.

"It could take years, possibly decades, for the system to recover from an infusion of this quantity of oil and gas," Joye said. "We've never seen anything like this before. It's impossible to fathom the impact.""
Continued at:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...SxVPAD9FO17L00


On a tragically related topic:

"COAST GUARD AND EPA APPROVE USE OF DISPERSANT SUBSEA IN FURTHER EFFORT TO PREVENT OIL FROM REACHING U.S. SHORELINE
ROBERT, LA - The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced they have authorized BP to use dispersants underwater, at the source of the Deepwater Horizon leak. Oil spill dispersants are chemicals that attempt to break down the oil into small drops and prevent it from reaching the surface or the U.S. shoreline. Dispersants are generally less harmful than the highly toxic oil leaking from the source and they biodegrade in a much shorter time span.

The use of the dispersant at the source of the leak represents a novel approach to addressing the significant environmental threat posed by the spill. Preliminary testing results indicate that subsea use of the dispersant is effective at reducing the amount of oil from reaching the surface – and can do so with the use of less dispersant than is needed when the oil does reach the surface. This is an important step to reduce the potential for damage from oil reaching fragile wetlands and coastal areas.

“We will continue our relentless efforts to secure the source of the spill. In the meantime, we will employ every available technique we can to minimize the environmental impact on coastal habitats, communities and the marine ecosystem. This requires a responsible assessment of the risks and benefits of specific tactics,” said Coast Guard Admiral Thad W. Allen, the national incident commander for the spill.

“Based on the scientific analysis of the EPA and NOAA and review by the National Response Team, it has been determined that the use of dispersants at the subsea source is the prudent and responsible action to take along with other tactics including surface dispersant, skimming and controlled burns."

"We believe that the underwater use of dispersants could lessen the overall impact of the spill,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Dispersants are not the silver bullet. They are used to move us towards the lesser of two difficult environmental outcomes. Until the flow of oil is stemmed, we must continue to take any responsible action that will reduce the impact of the spill, and that is what we are doing.”"
Continued at: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse....c/2931/551271/
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Old 05-17-2010, 10:17 AM
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What to do if you see new oil on the water or beach:






From: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/
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Old 05-25-2010, 08:37 AM
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It is a few days old at this point but the following NBC newscast goes into many aspects of the spill including imagery and discussion of transport prospects into the Straits of Florida.

Video is at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...00449#37200449


Intermittent live video feed from an ROV working around the wellhead blowout 5000 ft. deep. Looks like the outflow is excavating a hole in the bottom. Lucky us.

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_inte...ov_stream.html



Latest HYCOM-GFS Oilspill Forecast



Federal Fishery Closures In The Gulf of Mexico
(upper two images from: http://crownweather.com/?page_id=2242)

The fishery closure zone is getting HUGE and coming closer to the Straits of Florida. More info on the closures at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_..._oil_spill.htm


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