Michael Bay mission to put dome on oil spill fails, BP wants to clog it w/ trash

[Dickie Dee]

They have to be trying something, but really it's a case of the only legimate solution taking 3-4 months so instead of sitting on the sidelines they're just throwing shit at the wall and hoping something sticks. All of BP's Houston staff have been pulled from their projects and are put onto this, whether this is a PR move or hope that *some new solution* can be created, I don't know.

[Mupepe]

It's no PR move.  The whole industry is pretty serious about getting this solved and they're all collaborating. 

[huckleberry]

[Great Rumbler]

I don't really see it passing Kuwait, but it should easily pass all the others.

[Beezy]

It's gonna cause more damage than the others though.

[Brehvolution]

It's been 20 years since Kuwait and the weather has been getting more fucked up every year.

[The Fake Shemp]

The damage to Kuwait was minimal, all things considered. This will wreak havoc with the Gulf for years.

[Dickie Dee]

Especially once the oil kills the grass in the marshlands and they disappear as the GOM claims them. There's gonna be permant loss of habitat.

[tehjaybo]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Dickie Dee]

Giant Plumes of Oil Found Forming Under Gulf of Mexico
By JUSTIN GILLIS

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.”

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.

Dr. Joye said the oxygen had already dropped 30 percent near some of the plumes in the month that the broken oil well had been flowing. “If you keep those kinds of rates up, you could draw the oxygen down to very low levels that are dangerous to animals in a couple of months,” she said Saturday. “That is alarming.”

The plumes were discovered by scientists from several universities working aboard the research vessel Pelican, which sailed from Cocodrie, La., on May 3 and has gathered extensive samples and information about the disaster in the gulf.

Scientists studying video of the gushing oil well have tentatively calculated that it could be flowing at a rate of 25,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil a day. The latter figure would be 3.4 million gallons a day. But the government, working from satellite images of the ocean surface, has calculated a flow rate of only 5,000 barrels a day.

BP has resisted entreaties from scientists that they be allowed to use sophisticated instruments at the ocean floor that would give a far more accurate picture of how much oil is really gushing from the well.

“The answer is no to that,” a BP spokesman, Tom Mueller, said on Saturday. “We’re not going to take any extra efforts now to calculate flow there at this point. It’s not relevant to the response effort, and it might even detract from the response effort.”

The undersea plumes may go a long way toward explaining the discrepancy between the flow estimates, suggesting that much of the oil emerging from the well could be lingering far below the sea surface.

The scientists on the Pelican mission, which is backed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that monitors the health of the oceans, are not certain why that would be. They say they suspect the heavy use of chemical dispersants, which BP has injected into the stream of oil emerging from the well, may have broken the oil up into droplets too small to rise rapidly.

BP said Saturday at a briefing in Robert, La., that it had resumed undersea application of dispersants, after winning Environmental Protection Agency approval the day before.

“It appears that the application of the subsea dispersant is actually working,” Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer for exploration and production, said Saturday. “The oil in the immediate vicinity of the well and the ships and rigs working in the area is diminished from previous observations.”

Many scientists had hoped the dispersants would cause oil droplets to spread so widely that they would be less of a problem in any one place. If it turns out that is not happening, the strategy could come under greater scrutiny. Dispersants have never been used in an oil leak of this size a mile under the ocean, and their effects at such depth are largely unknown.

Much about the situation below the water is unclear, and the scientists stressed that their results were preliminary. After the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, they altered a previously scheduled research mission to focus on the effects of the leak.

Interviewed on Saturday by satellite phone, one researcher aboard the Pelican, Vernon Asper of the University of Southern Mississippi, said the shallowest oil plume the group had detected was at about 2,300 feet, while the deepest was near the seafloor at about 4,200 feet.

“We’re trying to map them, but it’s a tedious process,” Dr. Asper said. “Right now it looks like the oil is moving southwest, not all that rapidly.”

He said they had taken water samples from areas that oil had not yet reached, and would compare those with later samples to judge the impact on the chemistry and biology of the ocean.

While they have detected the plumes and their effects with several types of instruments, the researchers are still not sure about their density, nor do they have a very good fix on the dimensions.

Given their size, the plumes cannot possibly be made of pure oil, but more likely consist of fine droplets of oil suspended in a far greater quantity of water, Dr. Joye said. She added that in places, at least, the plumes might be the consistency of a thin salad dressing.

Dr. Joye is serving as a coordinator of the mission from her laboratory in Athens, Ga. Researchers from the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi are aboard the boat taking samples and running instruments.

Dr. Joye said the findings about declining oxygen levels were especially worrisome, since oxygen is so slow to move from the surface of the ocean to the bottom. She suspects that oil-eating bacteria are consuming the oxygen at a feverish clip as they work to break down the plumes.

While the oxygen depletion so far is not enough to kill off sea life, the possibility looms that oxygen levels could fall so low as to create large dead zones, especially at the seafloor. “That’s the big worry,” said Ray Highsmith, head of the Mississippi center that sponsored the mission, known as the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology.

The Pelican mission is due to end Sunday, but the scientists are seeking federal support to resume it soon.

“This is a new type of event, and it’s critically important that we really understand it, because of the incredible number of oil platforms not only in the Gulf of Mexico but all over the world now,” Dr. Highsmith said. “We need to know what these events are like, and what their outcomes can be, and what can be done to deal with the next one.”

Also, holy shit at that BP quote, their PR was so good at the start, now they coming off as such swarmy assholes

[Great Rumbler]

 

[Brehvolution]

The damage to Kuwait was minimal, all things considered. This will wreak havoc with the Gulf for years.

I wasn't referring to the damage for Kuwait, I was referring to the hundreds of oil wells lit on fire and raged for months putting tens maybe hundreds of barrels of oil into the air.

[Brehvolution]

http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/05/oil-spill-bp-grand-isle-beach

[The Fake Shemp]

Drill baby, drill

[ManaByte]

North Korea torpedoed up the Deepwater Horizon.

[Great Rumbler]

http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/05/oil-spill-bp-grand-isle-beach

S M H

[The Fake Shemp]

That article is like a bad novel, where a big, faceless conglomerate is in charge of a small town.

[huckleberry]

big, faceless conglomerate is in charge of a small town.

 

[T-Short]

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/oil_reaches_louisiana_shores.html

[Yeti]

This thing hasn't stopped leaking yet either, right? 

[T-Short]

This thing hasn't stopped leaking yet either, right? 

nope. still going strong

[Phoenix Dark]

why hasn't obama fixed this omg

[The Fake Shemp]

Because, as the Democrats have learned, his pockets are lined with corporate dollars too - just like the rest of 'em.

[ManaByte]

Because, as the Democrats have learned, his pockets are lined with corporate dollars too - just like the rest of 'em.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/05/bp.lobbying/index.html

[Brehvolution]

Part of me thinks that BP is dragging this out SO the govt. jumps in and takes over since socializing losses has been so en vogue these days. :tinfoilhat

Do I think the govt. should be doing more? Yes

What do I think they should be doing and aren't? I haven't a clue.

They should retrofit a big robotic arm on a Navy sub and use it to shove something in the tube. That is my best idea. 

[Brehvolution]

Because, as the Democrats have learned, his pockets are lined with corporate dollars too - just like the rest of 'em.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/05/bp.lobbying/index.html

Big Oil rules the world. If it isn't more obvious now then I don't know what to say. If you are trying to claim that Obama is in the pocket of BP, this article isn't proving your claim.

[Diunx]

Hurricane season is coming, this is gonna be fun for Louisiana.

[Phoenix Dark]

Because, as the Democrats have learned, his pockets are lined with corporate dollars too - just like the rest of 'em.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/05/bp.lobbying/index.html

wow a whopping $71,000

The oil and gas industry donated $2.4 million to Palin's running mate, Republican John McCain, in the 2008 election cycle, and nearly $900,000 to Obama, according to the Times, which cites data from the Center for Responsive Politics' opensecrets.org website.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/05/palin-criticizes-obama-on-gulf-oil-cleanup/1

[Himu]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/05/21/GA2010052104134.html?hpid=artslot

[Great Rumbler]

This just gets more and more depressing with each passing day. 

[Cormacaroni]

Maybe it will encourage research into alternative energy though!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

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[Phoenix Dark]

Obama

[Himu]

Pretty much, fuck Obama.

[brawndolicious]

I haven't been following this too closely.  What did he screw up?

[Himu]

The federal guv is sitting on their ass, twiddling their thumbs and is not taking responsibility for the lives of its citizens, environment and wildlife.

GW handled Katrina better.

[ToxicAdam]

Government isn't your daddy. How many times do they have to let you down before you realize what a pile of corrupt/inept shit they are?

[Fresh Prince]

ToxicAdam is correct. You can't trust the government or the public sector to do anything right.

[Himu]

I certainly didn't realize it yesterday; doesn't stop the whole situation from being disappointing, though.

[Fresh Prince]

Government points to business. Business points to government. Shit doesn't get done.

[Phoenix Dark]

There isn't much the government could have done to "fix" this, but I'm shocked Obama sat on his hands until people started bitching. If he had been on the scene faster and started getting ready for the recovery/clean up phase faster, who knows. There would still be a spill, but this wouldn't look like as much of a clusterfuck from the administration's end.

[Himu]

Exactly. It's difficult to fix, but it'd really take some weight off my shoulders if they acted like they gave a shit.

[Fresh Prince]

In short act as if they care.

[brawndolicious]

The federal guv is sitting on their ass, twiddling their thumbs and is not taking responsibility for the lives of its citizens, environment and wildlife.

GW handled Katrina better.

What specific solutions should he have used?  Wasn't the oil spill originally supposed to be under the control of the company responsible, unless they couldn't handle it, and didn't BP give estimates that were ten times too low?

I mean, what exactly is a law professor supposed to look for weeks before it hits the shore wrt taking emergency action?  What is he allowed to do?

I don't see the comparison to Katrina.  This is a slow-motion disaster (obviously) and nobody's actual life is as stake.

[Fresh Prince]

But there are birds. Birds dying. Birds dying slowly. Birds dying slowly to their death. Fish as well.

[The Fake Shemp]

I think America loves birds more than black people.

[Himu]

If anything it shows how distinguished mentally-challenged spill recovery is. The lack of co-operation between both groups has been astounding.

You don't see the comparison to Katrina? This will be a detrimental impact on careers and lives in the Gulf and economy and it took a bunch of bad press and bitching to Obama to make a statement.

[Phoenix Dark]

It's a disaster and Katrina was a disaster. That's about the only similarity worth mentioning imo. Everything else is pretty different, starting with the tons of people who died.

[Fresh Prince]

I think America loves dying black birds more than dying black people.

[Beezy]

Exactly. It's difficult to fix, but it'd really take some weight off my shoulders if they acted like they gave a shit.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=21508725&postcount=1953

read that

[brawndolicious]

It's a disaster and Katrina was a disaster. That's about the only similarity worth mentioning imo. Everything else is pretty different, starting with the tons of people who died.

This.  You see people dying, starving, "looting/scavenging" and you immediately use any and all resources and worry about the correct procedures later.  Plus a lot of the actual city got destroyed which is just unprecedented.

This seems more like the law never anticipated such a disaster and that BP's underhandedness\/incompetence delayed the response.

[Himu]

THANK YOU, BEEZY.

[Crushed]

death to humanity

[EmCeeGrammar]

Ive missed this story since it began. There's a giant catastrophic oil spill. Im really out of the loop.

[Brehvolution]

I can't believe the govt. has the fix just sitting in a nearby warehouse and isn't deploying it.

[Diunx]

Wait, so Cameron didn't fix this? I don't think there is anyone else able to stop this, Louisiana had a good run.

[Fresh Prince]

I think he was on radio or something bitchin' how BP wouldn't listen to him 

[The Fake Shemp]

"The answer is UNOBTAINIUM."

"Uh, Mr. Cameron, how is that going to hel-"

"Hello, did you not see AVATAR?"

"Yes, it was a very entertain-"

"Just get some unobtainum! Problem solved!"

"But that doesn't make any sen-"

"It makes mountains float! It can clog some silly hole!"

".... Is it too late to call Kevin Costner back?"

[Fresh Prince]

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/03/james-cameron-bp-morons-dont-want-my-help-with-oil-spill/

"I know really, really, really smart people that work typically at depths much greater than what that well is at," Cameron said. But according to the Oscar-winning director, BP officials are not among them.

[Diunx]

I still can't believe they are actually calling Hollywood people in on this, I thought it was an internet joke or something

[Fresh Prince]

really, really, really smart people

also brainstorm