THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING OIL
-EPA Official
Where has all the oil gone? That's what pundits and news anchors are buzzing about this week. For almost three months, the Deepwater Horizon oil leak has dominated the news, with the vast spread of oil moving ever closer to land and wreaking environmental damage. Opponents of oil drilling secretly gloated over how this will help their cause, locals cringed over the cost to their economies and the loss of jobs, and President Obama dithered, uncertain what to do beyond make speeches. In the end, the oil appears to have simply dispersed. That gigantic puddle is not visible any longer. Where did it go?
Experts aren't exactly sure. Some think that the dispersants and chemicals BP dumped in the water have done their job. Others believe that naturally-occurring bacterial attracted to the gulf area by the leaks in the ocean floor had a major bloom and ate the oil. Others say that natural evaporation and oxidation took care of much of the oil. Still others say that the oil dispersed on its own due to tide, wind, and current, and spread around the ocean.
I simply sit back and note that my theme of "this isn't as horrendous as people keep saying" and notes about how the oil spill isn't as big as it seems (oil floats on water) and the damage isn't as bad as people believe were all true. I took a lot of heat for those thoughts in comments around the net. I'm not gloating, just hoping people will look back and think a bit before panicking. I didn't originate these ideas, I was simply repeating what others had said and noting their validity. In the end, this didn't end up even one of the top 10 oil leaks in history in terms of oil volume (nor does Exxon Valdez, for that matter).
Next time a huge disaster like this comes up, maybe at least some can think in terms of logic, science, and reality rather than what's politically most useful or what their fears drive them to. This isn't entirely over yet. The original leak is only temporarily capped, there's still some oil "plumes" in the water, and there's still a bit of the stuff floating around out there which will be washing ashore for years, if the Ixtoc 1 leak is any guide.
And the oil that did reach the shore already is going to be there a very long time, usually under the sand making things nasty. There's still cleanup work to do. Let's just all be grateful for how this has turned out so far. And maybe we can dial back the anger at BP a little while being glad the Obama administration's incompetence and hesitation didn't cost us more.
*UPDATE: Michael Grunwald at Time Magazine writes that the damage was much less than expected, such as only 1% the bird deaths and cleanups compared to Exxon Valdez and the swamp damage in Louisiana a fraction of the loss every year to erosion.
Experts aren't exactly sure. Some think that the dispersants and chemicals BP dumped in the water have done their job. Others believe that naturally-occurring bacterial attracted to the gulf area by the leaks in the ocean floor had a major bloom and ate the oil. Others say that natural evaporation and oxidation took care of much of the oil. Still others say that the oil dispersed on its own due to tide, wind, and current, and spread around the ocean.
I simply sit back and note that my theme of "this isn't as horrendous as people keep saying" and notes about how the oil spill isn't as big as it seems (oil floats on water) and the damage isn't as bad as people believe were all true. I took a lot of heat for those thoughts in comments around the net. I'm not gloating, just hoping people will look back and think a bit before panicking. I didn't originate these ideas, I was simply repeating what others had said and noting their validity. In the end, this didn't end up even one of the top 10 oil leaks in history in terms of oil volume (nor does Exxon Valdez, for that matter).
Next time a huge disaster like this comes up, maybe at least some can think in terms of logic, science, and reality rather than what's politically most useful or what their fears drive them to. This isn't entirely over yet. The original leak is only temporarily capped, there's still some oil "plumes" in the water, and there's still a bit of the stuff floating around out there which will be washing ashore for years, if the Ixtoc 1 leak is any guide.
And the oil that did reach the shore already is going to be there a very long time, usually under the sand making things nasty. There's still cleanup work to do. Let's just all be grateful for how this has turned out so far. And maybe we can dial back the anger at BP a little while being glad the Obama administration's incompetence and hesitation didn't cost us more.
*UPDATE: Michael Grunwald at Time Magazine writes that the damage was much less than expected, such as only 1% the bird deaths and cleanups compared to Exxon Valdez and the swamp damage in Louisiana a fraction of the loss every year to erosion.
posted by Christopher Taylor at 10:26 AM
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