Transcript Document
BP……WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
DeepWater Horizon Oil Spill
Timeline
Deepwater Horizon
floating rig
exploratory drilling 50 miles southeast of Venice
water nearly 1 mile deep
only 40-50 rigs in Gulf drilling this deep
April 20, 2010 – explosion – methane gas
April 22, 2010 – rig topples, oil begins to leak from well
in sea floor
Blow-out preventer failed
Three leaks, one has been sealed
Current situation
As of ???????????? gallons of oil have been released into
the gulf.
Exxon Valdez in 1989 was 11 million gallons
Attempted to place large “funnel” over leak on Saturday
5/8
Gas-water crystals clogged
Mitigation: booms, skimming, burning, dispersants
(bad weather disrupts)
Oil started showing up on shore over the weekend
What next for BP?
As of July 15 the leak has been capped.
Future ???????? $$$$$$
BIODEGRADATION OF OIL
BY
BACTERIA
BACTERIA AND MICROBES ARE THE ONLY THINGS
THAT WILL ULTIMATELY CLEAN UP (NOT JUST
MOVE AROUND) THE ONGOING OIL SPILL IN THE
GULF OF MEXICO
There are billions of hydrocarbon
chewing microbes
BACTERIA ARE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR OWN
SURFACTANT
( reduces surface tension)
Dispersants
Separates the oil into smaller droplets
Dispersed throughout the water column
Prevent surface slick – affects beaches, marshes, animals
– immediate damage
Does not destroy or eliminate oil – dilutes and alters
until natural degradation
Where does it go? – complex currents, water vs
sediment
What does it do? – food chain, toxicity