Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Below the Gulf's Surface 483
An anonymous reader sends in a NY Times article about the spread of oil from the BP gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. Quoting:
"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. ... 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. ... [Scientists on the Pelican mission] 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. ... 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."
We should call BP big polluter now! (Score:5, Funny)
We should call BP big polluter now!
Re:Where's Sarah Palin (Score:4, Funny)
Sarah Palin...
is out parasailin'.
Re:Worst Catastrophe In History (Score:5, Funny)
Great. So the oil is nicely contained in dense plumes. BP just needs to stick a giant straw into the plumes and suck that stuff right up :-)
Free Market Man is here! (Score:3, Funny)
The free market will fix this. People will stop putting BP gas in their car and BP will go out of business. Leading others to clean up the spill, garner goodwill with the public, and have consumers put that company's gas in their car.
Right?
Right?....
Re:She's in Arizona (Score:2, Funny)
Well, in all fairness, I'm sure that rig was manned by illegal immigrants, rather than properly trained Americans(TM). She's working the root of the problem.
Re:Worst Catastrophe In History (Score:3, Funny)
Its a sequel.... (Score:2, Funny)
Dead Sea II
Re:We should call BP big polluter now! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So, if we wern't drilling for oil... (Score:1, Funny)
That's absolutely right. It's like how 9/11 wasn't so much a disaster for all the people who died in the attack as it was for the hot dog vendors, and tourists who liked to visit the buildings.
Speaking of plumage.... (Score:2, Funny)
Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!
Mr. Praline: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.
Re:We should call BP big polluter now! (Score:1, Funny)
We should call BP big polluter now!
Spill! Baby, Spill!
Re:they better stop it pretty damn soon (Score:3, Funny)
Don't tell that to the homeopaths.
Re:i LOL (Score:5, Funny)
Damnit, I knew we should have bombed Swederland when we had the chance!
Re:i LOL (Score:3, Funny)
While that is ordinarily not a reason to trust you, I guess I'll trust you on this. ;)