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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off-shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, April 21, 2010.
Source: U.S. Coast Guard. Permission: Public Domain.The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (also called the BP Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, or Macondo Blowout) occurred on April 20, 2010, 50-miles off the coast of Louisiana following an explosion on the British Petroleum-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig.1 The rig capsized and sank on April 22, 2010, killing 11 workers and causing its well on the ocean floor to begin leaking a large volumes of crude oil into the Gulf. Already the Deepwater spill has doubled the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, previously the largest in US history. President Obama commented on the gravity of the situation in a recent press announcement: "This is imperiling an entire way of life and an entire region for potentially years."
On April 30, 2010, reports began coming in that portions of the oil slick had reached the Louisiana coast, posing a serious threat to local wildlife. The timing of the spill makes it a particularly significant danger for birds, as many species are breeding and nesting, or passing through the Gulf on their annual migratory routes at this time of year. Some examples of the species at risk are the Brown Pelican, the Reddish Egret, beach-nesting shorebirds, beach-nesting terns and gulls, large wading birds, marsh birds, migratory shorebirds, migratory songbirds, and ocean-dwelling birds.2 The spill also threatens a variety of marine wildlife, including a pod of sperm whales residing in the Gulf, bluefin tuna, and sea turtles.3
Magnitude of the Spill
Because the leak occurred deep underwater, it is difficult to establish the volume of oil spilled. By April 28, 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that the oil was leaking into the gulf at a rate of 5,000 barrels per day (210,000 gallons per day).4 However, after BP was pressured to release video footage of the leak, several experts were able to use it to calculate the amount of oil flowing into the ocean and found it to be significantly higher. Dr. Steven Wereley of Purdue University estimated the flow to be between 56,000 and 84,000 barrels per day (2,352,000 - 3,528,000 gallons per day), while Timothy Crone, an associate research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory estimated the rate of flow to be at least 50,000 barrels per day (2,100,000 gallons per day).5
Newly discoverd Coast Guard Documents from the day after the explosion indicate that oil could leak at a rate of more than 336,000 gallons per day. These high figures suggest BP downplayed the incident with its original quote of 42,000 gallons, which has further incurred charges that BP was negligent and must be held responsible. As of June 1, 2010 the volume is estimated at 500,000 to 1 million gallons of crude leaking daily.6 The well has spit out between 21 million and 46 million gallons of oil since the rig explosion, and officials don't expect the leak to be blocked until after August.
Response
On April 29, as the oil slick neared the Louisiana Coastline, Governor Jindal declared a state of emergency, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was declared a Spill of National Significance (SONS), "a spill that, due to its severity, size, location, actual or potential impact on the public health and welfare or the environment, or the necessary response effort, is so complex that it requires extraordinary coordination of federal, state, local, and responsible party resources to contain and clean up the discharge."78
Although hampered by weather conditions, a number of different strategies have been employed to minimize the damage caused by the spill. In an attempt to protect vulnerable shorelines, over 1.4 million feet of booming were deployed to block the progress of the oil slick. On April 28, 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated an approach of in situ burning, setting portions of the slick on fire in an attempt to burn off the oil before it reached the shore. Over 475,000 gallons of dispersants were applied to dilute and break up the oil slick. 9 However, concern has been expressed over the type of dispersant used, Corexit, which EPA calculates to be more toxic and less effective than alternative dispersants. Corexit is produced by Nalco Co., a company with ties at the executive and board of directors levels to BP and Exxon Mobile.10
Remote underwater robots were unable to activate the rig's blowout preventer, which was supposed to shut off the flow from the oil well in the event of failure. BP has since applied a loosely fitting cap device to the top of the well, which has started pumping pil and gas to a tanker on the surface. As of June 7th, the cap is keeping up to 462,000 gallons of oil a day from leaking into the Gulf, according to Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen. Still the Gulf Coast is in need of a permanent solution to block the leaking well, and much environmental clean-up remains. The best chance to plug the leak is a pair of relief wells, which are at least two months away. BP CEO Tony Hayward promised that his company would clean up every drop of oil and "restore the shoreline to its original state."11
Footnotes
1. "Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill," Times Topics, NYTimes.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
2. "Audubon Fears Imperiled Birds Will Be Next Victims of Gulf Oil Disaster," National Audubon Society, April 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
3. "Gulf Oil Spill Map - Wildlife at Risk," New York Times, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
4. "Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
5. Richard Harris, "Gulf Spill Could Be Much Worse Than Believed," National Public Radio, May 14, 2010. Accessed May 14, 2010.
6. Jay Reeves and Ray Henry,"Long road to oil cleanup looms over Gulf Coast," Associated Press, June 7, 2010. Accessed June 7, 2010.
7. "Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
8. "Oil Slick Just a Few Miles From Louisiana Coast," CNN, April 30, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
9. "Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
10. Peter Quinlan, "Less Toxic Diespersants Lose Out," New York Times, May 13, 2010. Accessed May 14, 2010.
11. Melissa Nelson, "Cap collecting more and more oil, Coast Guard says," Associated Press. June 7, 2010
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