Mother of all gushers could kill Earth's oceans

[Contrary1]

:(

"Imagine a pipe 5 feet wide spewing crude oil like a fire hose from what could be the planets' largest, high-pressure oil and gas reserve. With the best technology available to man, the Deepwater Horizon rig popped a hole into that reserve and was overwhelmed. If this isn't contained, it could poison all the oceans of the world.

"Well if you say the fire hose has a 70,000 psi pump on the other end yes! No comparison here. The volume out rises geometrically with pressure. Its a squares function. Two times the pressure is 4 times the push. The Alaska pipeline is 4 feet in diameter and pushes with a lot less pressure. This situation in the Gulf of Mexico is stunning dangerous." -- Paul Noel (May 2, 2010)

The original estimate was about 5,000 gallons of oil a day spilling into the ocean. Now they're saying 200,000 gallons a day. That's over a million gallons of crude oil a week!

I'm engineer with 25 years of experience. I've worked on some big projects with big machines. Maybe that's why this mess is so clear to me.

First, the BP platform was drilling for what they call deep oil. They go out where the ocean is about 5,000 feet deep and drill another 30,000 feet into the crust of the earth. This it right on the edge of what human technology can do. Well, this time they hit a pocket of oil at such high pressure that it burst all of their safety valves all the way up to the drilling rig and then caused the rig to explode and sink. Take a moment to grasp the import of that. The pressure behind this oil is so high that it destroyed the maximum effort of human science to contain it..."

More somber news here: http://pesn.com/2010/05/02/9501643_Mother_of_all_gushers_could_kill_Earths_oceans/

http://bytemuncher.blogspot.com/2010/05/gulf-of-mexico-oil-rig-disaster-why-we.html

[earth mom]

1. This is my biggest fear about this one. It doesn't seem like they can stop it.

:cry:

[texanwitch]

6. I have a friend who father worked in the oil fields on land and water.

He worked for over 30 years, he was worried about this off shore drilling.

He said they were drilling to deep, something was going happen.

I can't watch the news anymore, can't see pictures anymore.

I have 2 weeks of vacation so I want to help clean birds or something.

Anything to try to help.

[complain jane]

87. I've been thinking the same thing

I have 2 weeks vaca also and want to help clean animals or whatever I can do too.

[Subdivisions]

108. www.oilspillvolunteers.com n/t

[pretzel4gore]

194. regardless, they refuse to stop global warming

anyone who has kids (at the age of 20,in 1974, i KNEW the pig was going to kill the world, and only bloodshed stop them, and nobody cared enough to fight them- so i avoided marriage etc) must suffer awfully at the prospect the reagan era brought in and not only prevented but literally outlawed any effort to save the environment from the 'pass gas and giggle crowd' ie the rightwing. Especially the rightwing news/entertainment media. They dearly wish this disaster happen in China, N Korea or off Cuba (!!)

[paulkienitz]

201. they're pumping goop into the well's underside

which will stop it eventually. In, like, four to six months!

[lpbk2713]

2. The Gulf of Mexico is about to become one big gooey cesspool.

I had no idea that pipe was five feet in diameter. Those greedy bastards.

[sandnsea]

3. It is really quite a shocking mess

I kind of wondered if some sort of bomb might not be the answer. Not a nuke, but something to collapse it in on itself. They need to get this stopped as quick as they can. That side well should be a last resort, seems to me.

[Ticonderoga]

74. The risk of fracturing

the containment rock encasing the reserve thus creating more flow is a scary thought. So I wouldn't think it would be given a second thought. But I'm not an engineer.

[eShirl]

4. ok, who thought this was a good idea?!

:mad:

"First, the BP platform was drilling for what they call deep oil. They go out where the ocean is about 5,000 feet deep and drill another 30,000 feet into the crust of the earth. This it right on the edge of what human technology can do. Well, this time they hit a pocket of oil at such high pressure that it burst all of their safety valves all the way up to the drilling rig and then caused the rig to explode and sink."

[meow mix]

5. the BP is saying thier dome will cap it

they seem over-confident..

[Karenina]

7. They are LYING.

[CoffeeCat]

8. I'm no engineer...

...but this solution doesn't even sound feasible. They're going to put
a dome over it? Won't that dome fill up rather quickly?

I don't think they have any serious answers. They got their deregulation
and they were allowed to do whatever they wanted---but of course, they
had no plan for a worst-case scenario.

Boy! What freedoms an industry has when their regulators are former
lobbyists for the oil industry!

Where's the "I'm hurling a lung" smilie?

[Ruby the Liberal]

13. The dome will have a pipeline reaching to the surface

where the oil can be collected >> this is what they are saying.

Unfortunately, it is all in theory. This has never been attempted, and I am having a hard time believing that they can control the pressure.

[Sgent]

16. Its not theory

they did this to a lot of platforms after Katrina.

That being said, they did it to shallow water platforms, this is the first time to try it in deep water which brings a whole host of new problems (pressure, temperature) to bear.

[Ruby the Liberal]

21. Thanks for that clarification.

[DCBob]

50. coast guard: "This is the first time this has ever been done"

'It's a dome that would be placed over the leak and instead of the oil leaking into the water column it would leak into this dome structure,' coast guard spokesman Prentice Danner told AFP at the time.'The dome would capture or gather the oil and allow it to be pumped out of that dome structure.'

If robotic submarines fail to restart the giant blowout preventer valve on the sea floor, the dome is seen as the best short-term solution. Drilling relief wells to divert the flow of oil would take months. 'If you could picture a half dome on top of the leak and the oil collects inside of this dome and is pumped out from there, that is the idea behind it,' said Danner. He compared it to welded steel containment structures called cofferdams used in oil rig construction, but stressed this would be an original design. 'This is the first time this has ever been done. This idea didn't exist until now. It has never been fabricated before.'

more: http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Technology/2010/05/03/BP_contains_oil_spill_with_giant_dome_457665.html

Perhaps they have done something similar on a much smaller scale but this is cleary breaking new ground and new technology and it does not sound too assuring.

[CoffeeCat]

32. The dome won't be ready for 8 days!

I just heard this on CNN (Sunday 5:00 p.m. cst). The dome that
they want to put over the leak won't be ready for eight days.

Eight days?????

BP had absolutely no plan in place for a disaster. It boggles the mind.

If this pipeline is spilling 200,000 gallons per day, in eight days we'll have
1,600,000 gallons of oil released in our oceans--in the next eight days alone!

Mind blowing.

[Ruby the Liberal]

40. Yep. This is unimaginable.

:(:

[caseymoz]

69. And that's if 200,000 gallons per day is now the correct estimate.

Two days ago the amount being leaked was supposed to be 100,000 gallons a day. I've been noticing the rate estimate has been going up exponentially. Like BP is trying to break it to us in stages.

If they are trying things like this dome, they are desperate. This is very serious. Not quite ice-9 serious, yet, but it is reading like the first hundred pages of a doomsday novel.

[tekisui]

180. And that's if the kink that is slowing the flow doesn't give.

But, we already know it is deteriorating with sand constantly eroding it as it flows with the oil.

[colorado_ufo]

112. They had no plan is place because no plan existed

that could contain such a catastrophe. Therefore, they glossed it over with wishful thinking that this scenario was "virtually impossible." And the regulatory agency or agencies that oversee such plans obviously bought it - because they wanted to believe it, because they wanted the oil.

[AngryOldDem]

124. And here, I thought such hubris died with the Titanic.

Nothing -- NOTHING -- is "virtually impossible."

We are now reaping the whirlwind of decades of government inaction because the almighty dollar trumps all. Pretty damn high price we're all paying now, from the coal mines to the Gulf.

[WillyT]

213. BEST COMMENT EVER !!!

Bravo!!!

:applause:

:yourock:

:kick:

[AngryOldDem]

122. Eight days?

Mary Landrieu said on Face the Nation that it will take at least THREE months before this is under control.

The more I think about this, the angrier I get. Why in the hell didn't BP have some kind of emergency plan for this platform if it was digging so deep in the Gulf?

[SidDithers]

130. Multiple solutions on different timelines...

the dome to contian and control the leaking oil, a temporary solution only, is to be ready in 8 days.

Relief wells drilled to alleviate the pressure on the wellhead, and allow the leak to be capped will take at least 3 months.

Sid

[AngryOldDem]

142. I thought it was something like that.

But I got the sense from her comments that there was really no quick fix to this, temporary solution or not.

Another concern: Hurricane season starts in June.

I am so angry over this I am sick.

[Grinchie]

209. The impact will linger for decades.

Visit Texas sometimes and find old abandoned oil fields that have experienced gushers before being abandoned. Your eyes will water, you'll be nauseated by the smell, and you'll be struck by the morbidly unnatural plants that manage to survive on the polluted soil.

Then, imagine that scenario on hundreds of miles of beaches, marshlands, jettys, yachts, Jet Ski's, Surfboards, Feet, Inner Tubes, Kids, Fish, Birds, Jellyfish and so on.

Maybe the smell might diminish in about 10 years after a few good Hurricanes come through and stir things up.

[Juneboarder]

189. That's assuming...

the oil that is released remains constant at 200,000 gallons/day. Since this spill happened, MSM has reported from 1,000 gallons/day up to 200,000 gallons/day. Who's to say the amount will not continue to increase over the next week (assuming one week is all we have to wait for an answer)? This is a sad situation our country has gotten ourselves into...

[KayLaw]

35. Please let it work.

That's all I have to say. :cry:

[caseymoz]

65. It's exactly like what happened with the WV coal mine disaster.

I mean, these guys really believed that if given freedom of the market, they really couldn't do any wrong. They ignored violations, apparently. It never occurred to them that they could be wrong, nor how good it would be good to just, like, have people around, such as from the government, whose only job was to evaluate the safety without threat of losing their jobs when they told the truth.

This could be very bad. Unprecedentedly very bad. This could wreck the environment, wreck the economy, and it might be worldwide.

People say we're "addicted to oil." No, not exactly addicted. You wonder why the government was so desperate to allow a drilling operation like this: It's really because the US's food production is most dependent on oil. I'm afraid with 300 million people, we are not anywhere near self-sufficient in food. If we didn't find sources for oil, it means trade deficits, and probably starvation.

[SidDithers]

129. The idea is to pump out from the top of the dome...

It's a feasible idea. Whether it will work at that depth is unknown.

Edit: and it is only a temporary solution, to catch the leaking (gushing) oil before it hits the surface and adds to the enormous oil slick.

Sid

[RollWithIt]

202. Not capped, redirected to a processing ship....

Never been done before at that depth but it is feasible.

[spanone]

29. they also initially said there was NO oil leaking...what to believe

[HughMoran]

9. It certainly is sobering

uggh

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. Shit. If this guy is right, we have no more oceans.

I recommend the full read.
Starkly grim.
Had not had time to think about the issues he brings up.

If true, we are so screwn.

Listen to Paul Nole's reply:

By yesterday morning, the nature of the crude had changed, indicating that the spill was collapsing the rock structures. How much I cannot say. If it is collapsing the rock structures, the least that can be said is that the rock is fragmenting and blowing up the tube with the oil. With that going on you have a high pressure abrasive sand blaster working on the kinks in the pipe eroding it causing the very real risk of increasing the leaks.

More than that is the very real risk of causing the casing to become unstable and literally blowing it up the well bringing the hole to totally open condition. Another risk arises because according to reports the crew was cementing the exterior of the casing when this happens. As a result, the well, if this was not properly completed, could begin to blow outside the casing. Another possible scenario is a sea floor collapse. If that happens Katie bar the door.

I rec. this link form the OP:

http://pesn.com/2010/05/02/9501643_Mother_of_all_gushers_could_kill_Earths_oceans/

[datasuspect]

15. we need a cocky, smirking bruce willis to handle this with an ensemble cast of outlaw characters

with scientific knowledge!

[flamingdem]

20. So the entire Caribbean will become unihabitable + South Coast THANKS FOR THE DEREGULATION AHOLES nt

[rurallib]

23. O MY God! That is scary

[WinkyDink]

48. Well, good-bye, Homo sapiens not-so-sapiens.

[Jokinomx]

52. Now that is scary... I hope he is incorrect...but it certainly does seem he understands

the potential catastrophe that is at hand.

I am waiting for the President of B.P. to say..."BUT, how could we have known such a thing could happen?"

[WinkyDink]

53. "Nobody could have predicted."

[HughBeaumont]

119. = "We and the Free Marketz are completely blameless!"

[skyounkin]

192. He did say that....

actually.

Or someone did top that extent. Shocking and sickening.

[caseymoz]

70. Why? I'll be seeing what unfolds anyway.

I think if the oceans are going to be poisoned in short order, I'd rather not know in advance.

[tango-tee]

82. This is beyond awful. It's a tragedy, a catastrophe.

The ocean itself, marine and wildlife, the marshes, people's livelihoods at stake. Dear God.

And tropical storm season is just around the corner...

My son and his family live in Beaumont, TX and for the time being this seems to have bypassed their area, but all the other people out there who are affected, breaks my heart.

[glowing]

96. It will still effect them.. Even if its not in the immediate vacinity... it will effect the entire

economy in the Gulf... Tourism, fishing, a way of life....

[tango-tee]

98. I just read about it some more, and you're absolutely right.

Like you said, a whole way of life will be gone.

[Capitalocracy]

111. If you do the math, the world's oceans will be dead in a week

At least they would be if this were evenly spread around the world, I guess.
The link provided by the OP says 1 quart of oil can make 250,000 gallons of ocean water incapable of supporting life.
One gallon of oil can therefore poison 1 million gallons
200,000 gallons a day are leaking now (as far as we know)
According to Wikipedia, there are 1.3 million cubic kilometers of ocean water on Earth.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[SidDithers]

133. 1.3 cubic kilometers is 1.3 x 10^18 litres in the oceans...

= 3.4 x 10^17 gallons

If one gallon of oil poisons 1 x 10^6 gallons of water,

you would need 3.4 x 10^11 gallons of oil = 340,000,000,000 = 340 billion gallons of oil

at 200,000 gallons per day, that's 1,700,000 days, or 4,657 years.

Sid

[SidDithers]

162. Noticed a typo in title of my previous post...

should read 1.3 million cubic kilometers is 1.3 x 10^18 litres

rest of the math follows correctly, tho.

Sid

[Wednesdays]

141. At first I thought the "1 quart per 250,000 gallons" was way off

But then I got to thinking, how much water would a quart of oil contaminate? A bathtub-full? Well, way beyond that...an average bathtub has a 50-gallon capacity.

I looked it up, and found that an olympic-sized swimming pool, at 2 meters deep, holds 660,000 gallons of water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic-size_swimming_pool
Following the OP's ratio, about 2/3 gallon of oil would contaminate that much water, which seems plausible. If I had an aquarium that size with a mini-ecosystem in it, and I dumped 2 quarts plus half of motor oil in it, the whole ecosystem would die within a few weeks, starting with the smallest microorganisms and plankton, and then on up the food chain.

The entire world's oceans won't be covered within a week is because it takes time for the oil to spread. However, we could easily see the entire Gulf Coast affected by the 4th of July. Oil from the Exxon Valdez spread nearly 500 miles within 8 weeks of its spill:

[Ruby the Liberal]

11. That pesn.com link was a sobering read.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. US inspectors were not allowed to inspect the rig??????

From Paul Noel, same article as above:

"The rig that was drilling was not a US Flagged rig. That means US Inspectors were not allowed on board the rig to inspect it. As a matter of National Security under the GATT the USA has a right to demand US Only in various technology. The USA should never allow a foreign flag vessel to drill for oil in the US Economic Zone (200 mile limit). "

How many other rigs like that are out there...ticking.....

[Ruby the Liberal]

14. My jaw dropped on that as well. Thanks Unka Dick.

No inspectors and no requirement for remote shutoff. Can't stand in the way of big bidness and all that.

:grr:

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. Wanna hear a "co-incidence"?

This Noel guy was born in Lynnwood Wash, where I went to school, area I know well, and now works at Huntsville, I worked in that area before moving downstate here in Ala.
I listen to "co-incidences:.

So how many other countries' are we allowing to blow up our seabeds??

[bamademo]

51. Nother co-incidence? I went to elementary and high school with Paul..

Worked with him here in HSV for awhile.

[dixiegrrrrl]

64. Really? Wow.

So, do you find him credible and rational and all that?

[bamademo]

160. He was always really weird and nurdy, but he works for Corp of Engineers

Really brilliant.

[Newest Reality]

25. Can we also say thanks so much

for the bountiful black fruits of free market capitalism and how well it works for us all, that is, if our goal was to coat the oceans with a thick layer of gooey, toxic death?

[chill_wind]

56. !! I missed that completely.

eom

[flvegan]

17. I haven't hoped for someone to be so wrong in a very long time.

I have no engineering experience nor expertise, but if even 75% of what that article says is true...? We're fucked.

[nashville_brook]

28. [phone]

[dixiegrrrrl]

36. Oh shit..if YOU ae thinking along the same lines

I feel doubly depressed.

Mr. D. ( he of many smarts and expertise) says same thing... that it will take awhile, but eventually, if the oil field is really that big, the stuff will be everywhere.

[fishwax]

49. ay, no kidding -- it is sobering indeed n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

18. I think this was a horrendous spill, and the consequences will be far reaching, both geographically

and timewise....however, I do not think that "the pressure behind this oil is so high that it destroyed the maximum effort of human science to contain it.."

I think that Halliburton, BP, and all the other firms that were involved in ensuring the safety of this oil rig were doing a half-assed job, trying to get as much bang for their buck as possible and to make sure that the profit levels were as big as possible.

I do not believe that there was any really serious concern for safety...for the men who worked there, nor the surrounding environment. They were all filthy, greedy pigs, and figured they would get away with it...as they always have in the past.

None of the previous oil spills have put a stop to the drilling..what was in it for them to make sure there was no spill at this job? They may have underestimated how bad this would be..but they never really seriously made an attempt to make sure it would never happen.

[thereismore]

58. I agree. Doesn't sound like Halliburton did all that's humanly possible. Fuckers. nt

[Newest Reality]

22. If the high-end estimates

of the potential flow are correct, and the flow cannot be stopped in a reasonable period of time, then I wonder at what point the event will officially declared a disaster?

I am considering the impact on everything in that rather expansive area, (not including a global impact to all oceans, yet). Considering the impact on wildlife, commercial fishing, tourism, health of residents on coasts, etc. etc., not to mention the possible effect on the shipping lanes, how else could you spell disaster and an eventual state of emergency?

I don't think that it is sensationalistic to consider the ramifications of this catastrophe, nor is it premature to contemplate the magnitude of the impact.

[BeFree]

24. wow

Remember too that the pressure at the sea bottom is great. 5,000 feet deep.

That would mean that seawater, under great pressure, is flowing into any void left from the oil escaping. It is actually 'pumpimg' oil out of the pocket at great pressure. And since oil floats on water....

[NNN0LHI]

26. I didn't think hitting something under this much pressure was a very common thing

Not much of a consolation though.

Don

[Merlot]

27. One possible outcome of this horrible disaster

may be that we are finally FORCED to start seriously using alternatives to oil. This is SO bad and distructive that possibly the "drill baby" folks will no longer have any supporters beyond those with stock in oil companies.

I'm a silver lining kinda person...not that there is anything good about this disaster but it may provide the turning point. It may also drive up the cost of oil significantly.

[liquid diamond]

91. I wonder where the fuck are Sarah Palin and McCain.

They seem awfully quiet about this issue.

[Wednesdays]

131. Actually, Palin did make a statement on her Facebook page...

Read it only if you have a strong stomach. :argh:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4363142&mesg_id=4363159

[mwb970]

197. $arah says drill some more, but closer to the coasts.

I wish I were kidding. The drilling she wants is three miles offshore. And in ANWR.

Idiots.

[Subdivisions]

151. Please name an 'alternative' to oil. Thanks. n/t

[skyounkin]

193. Solar, wind and Geo thermal..

and of course your own legs if you need to walk.

[greencharlie]

30. thread of the day... thanks for the read. nt

[CLANG]

31. Oh, that sick feeling in my gut. I've been getting that a lot lately.

[KayLaw]

37. Me, too.

It hurts.

[snagglepuss]

43. I've felt the same way. This is utterly depressing and its all because

some filthy effing bastards want to maximize profits, do anything, risk everything to make more effing money.

[SammyWinstonJack]

144. Fat lot of good all those profits will do them if the World's oceans die.

Filthy effing bastards is right! :grr: :mad:

[Lorien]

77. You too eh?

I thought it was just me. :-(

[The Straight Story]

33. Rev 8:9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died;

:hide:

[lonestarnot]

164. More like Rev 16:3.

[Hosnon]

34. There seems to be a lot of confusion about units.

My understanding is that the original estimate was 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons). That was raised to 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons). I've seen quite a few references to an increase from 5,000 to 200,000, which I think is an error caused by grabbing the numeral without verifying the unit.

However, I've seen reports today placing the estimate at 50 - 100,000 barrels.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. Good point. I need to slow down and make sure I am reading apples and not oranges

about the amount.
Still, a million GALLONS of crude oil a week in the shallow bowl that is the Gulf
on top of this south wind storm we are having,
plus the longer term Gulf Current.


EEcchhh.

[bighughdiehl]

39. Ummm...

I haven't heard anyone say how big this oil field is? A million barrels? A billion? if the latter, and not fixed within a few more days, then all life on earth could be well and truly fucked.
Anyone know?

[CLANG]

41. They don't know but I've seen estimates on 1-2 billion or more.

From the referenced article:

Oil Deposit Capacity

The BP people are not talking, but this well is into a deposit that easily could top 500,000 barrels production per day for 10 or 15 years. Letting that all go in one blast seems more than foolish.

The deposit is one I have known about since 1988. The deposit is very big. The central pressure in the deposit is 165 to 170 thousand PSI. It contains so much hydrocarbon that you simply cannot imagine it. In published reports, BP estimated a blow out could reach near 200,000 Barrels per day (165,000) They may have estimated a flow rate on a 5 foot pipe. The deposit is well able to surpass this.

The oil industry has knowledge of the deposit more than they admit. The deposit is 100 miles off shore. They are drilling into the edge of the deposit to leak it down gently to be able to produce from the deposit. The deposit is so large that while I have never heard exact numbers it was described to me to be either the largest or the second largest oil deposit ever found. It is mostly a natural gas deposit. That is another reason not to blast too willy nilly there. The natural gas that could be released is really way beyond the oil in quantity. It is like 10,000 times the oil in the deposit.

[dixiegrrrrl]

67. Further down he states size again:

The deposit is very large. It covers an area off shore something like 25,000 square miles. Natural Gas and Oil is leaking out of the deposit as far inland as Central Alabama and way over into Florida and even over to Louisiana almost as far as Texas. This is a really massive deposit.

[Cleobulus]

120. At 1 or 2 billion barrels, if that's accurate, its not that big...

oh its devastating when being streamed into the ocean, but compared to the huge fields of Saudi Arabia and many other places in the world, its barely a drop in the bucket.

For comparison, the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia was estimated to contain about 75-83 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

[Ruby the Liberal]

42. That second link is recommending a nuke. Wouldn't that cause a hella Tsunami??

Edit - accidentally turned capslock on

[crikkett]

73. 1) radiation compounded by 2) collapse of sea floor.

Dumb and dumber. Worse and worst.

[lib2DaBone]

44. We are drowning in oil... surpluses ...with no place left to store it....

.. yet they tell us Goldman Sachs is going to bid the price back up to $145 a Barrel because the Chinese and Indian Economies are doing so good....

[Subdivisions]

152. You're going to have to verify, with links and sources, every single

element of you post.

[Politicub]

45. Every living thing will swiftly die without the oceans

I'm holding out hope that the oil volcano can be brought under control, but I'm worried that we are watching the rapid destruction of the gulf and our planet.

If the gusher isn't stopped, it's going to be miserable for all of humanity.

[chill_wind]

46. "We're humped." (second link) Really, really hope he is wrong.

If we can't cap that hole that oil is going to destroy the oceans of the world. It only takes one quart of motor oil to make 250,000 gallons of ocean water toxic to wildlife. Are you starting to get the magnitude of this?

We're so used to our politicians creating false crises to forward their criminal agendas that we aren't recognizing that we're staring straight into possibly the greatest disaster mankind will ever see. Imagine what happens if that oil keeps flowing until it destroys all life in the oceans of this planet. Who knows how big of a reservoir of oil is down there.

Not to mention that the oceans are critical to maintaining the proper oxygen level in the atmosphere for human life.

We're humped. Unless God steps in and fixes this. No human can. You can be sure of that.

[WinkyDink]

47. And people laughed about "2012." I wonder about the earthquakes these days, too.

[Rex]

54. In another post, some fishers said they caught pictures of the rig as it exploded

and went down, one said the rig was glowing red hot! The whole rig! At first I thought that would be impossible, but now that I've read they go down 5 or 6 miles into the ground I can see it being true.

[Lorien]

55. The Oceans provide 65% of our oxygen

dead ocean= dead everything else in very short order.

[dotymed]

132. Yes,

this could make us extinct. Isn't it obvious, to everyone, that the elites and corporations don't care, as long as they profit? If we contain this disaster, will people realize the dangers of capitalism? Has the MSM even mentioned the real severity of this disaster or the fact that it reveals the true face of capitalism? No. Will they? No. The impoverished people (slaves) of this world must rise against "free market" capitalism or face our extinction. If not from this greed fueled disaster, maybe the next one. Besides the inherent evil in a for profit system (using one group of people against the other), and the terrible inequalities it causes, it also guarantees our extinction. Is there any way to waken the sleeping giant that is the great majority of humanity, to stop this genocide?

[Bluebear]

57. I quit smoking for THIS?

:(

[crikkett]

68. Thanks a lot! Now I want a cigarette.

:(

[jimlup]

59. Oh F&^k!

[Duer 157099]

60. Mothergusher!

I like that one.

"This is one mothergusher of a disaster!"

"How's the mothergusher doing today?"

I might actually try to replace my use of motherfucker with that. It's much more apropos for cursing, imho.

[chill_wind]

61. " Another possible scenario is a sea floor collapse.

If that happens Katie bar the door."

OK now. I don't even want to think about that....

[WillyT]

86. That Part Sent A Chill Up My Spine Too...

Trying to fathom the unfathomable...

:scared:

:grouphug:

[alfredo]

62. What a fuckin buzz kill.

When we are gone, the Homo Genus will disappear from the earth. We are it, no more, checked out, extinct. Too bad we had to take everything else with us.

[KansDem]

187. Look on the bright side...

We'll all become fossil fuel for some other civilization hundreds of millions of years from now that will pump us out of the Earth for their Hummers, plastic containers, perfume, and polyester suits, while forgetting what happened to us.

:sarcasm:

[alfredo]

207. But will they have opposable thumbs?

[elleng]

63. Oil Spill Options Are Weighed as Obama Travels to Gulf.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/us/03spill.html?hp

[Desertrose]

66. They've basically hit an artery.....

Could Mother Earth bleed out?

This is really really really bad.

[BrklynLiberal]

71. The carotid, the femoral, or perhaps even the aorta

[scarletwoman]

76. Your post just gave me the worst chills of this whole thread.

We were warned. Did you ever read the book, The Elder Brothers?

The earth is decaying, it is losing its strength because they have taken away much petrol, coal, many minerals. Younger Brother thinks, Yes! Here I am! I know much about the universe! But this knowing is learning to destroy the world, to destroy everything, all humanity.... The Mother is suffering. They have broken her teeth and taken out her eyes and ears. She vomits, she has diarrhoea, she is ill...

:cry:

[WinkyDink]

117. Yes. Man has finally committed the suicide we've longed for.

[WheelWalker]

72. We're on the other side of the event horizon of a black hole. Bummer.

[Flying Dream Blues]

75. I hope his assessment isn't true, but it's important for everyone to

read because this sure isn't being covered by the MSM. k&r

[drexeldave]

78. how much time do we have to live, worse case scenario?

I want to be with my family when we all run out of air and make like Pompei.

[CLANG]

93. Worse case, probably a day or two...

[SammyWinstonJack]

147. Seriously?

:wow: :cry:

[crim son]

128. Welcome to DU, drexeldave.

Sorry it's under these circumstances.

[Odin2005]

79. Jesus Christ Almighty...

:cry:

[DissedByBush]

80. And yet again Mother Nature will clean it up better than we could

Oh sure, it'll be a local environmental disaster for years to come.

Mother Nature always cleans it up in the end, with or without our help.

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lorien]

83. Response from a scientist friend:

This is horrendous ecological nightmare BUT -- here is a link (below) to major oil spills that have happened since the 60's. The largest pumped 428 Million gallons (!) into the ocean in 1980 as well as hundreds of millions more from many other spills. The planet didn't die. The current BP disaster in the gulf is now pumping several hundred thousand gallons a day into the ocean. This is sickeningly horrible but if left unchecked, it will take almost 10 years to equal the volume of that single spill from 1980.

This is not the "mother of all spills" and is not going to poison the oceans of the world.

It IS a horrible thing that could have, and should have, been prevented. Those responsible should be held accountable in the harshest way possible.

The key thing is to stop it and I can only believe that there are indeed capable technical people trying to figure out how to do that, and will.

http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Statistics/largest_oil_spills.html

[sandnsea]

94. They are quite similar

The 1980 spill put 10 - 30,000 barrels a day into the Gulf, the current spill is at 5,000 barrels a day. Not gallons, barrels. At least according to the Coast Guard. If they are still lying to us, it's quite easy to see that this is as bad as the second largest spill in history, with the potential to get much worse.

Also, the 1980 spill was a long way from everywhere. Texas had 2 months to prepare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I

[CLANG]

95. The 428 million gallon spill was also in the gulf

But was 2 miles deep, and gushed oil at the rate of 10,000-30,000 barrels a day for almost 10 months before it was finally capped.

[SidDithers]

135. +1...

rational understanding is what's needed now, not doomsday hyperbole.

"The key thing is to stop it and I can only believe that there are indeed capable technical people trying to figure out how to do that, and will."

It's now an engineering problem, and there are very, very smart people working very hard to stop the this situation from getting worse.

Sid

[sylvi]

214. Yeah, but Doomsday hyperbole is much more fun

and gives an excuse to run out and eat some of those IHOP cheesecake pancakes.:9

[Global Village Idiot]

179. Good Information, ...

...but I would like input as to the effect of the quantity of oil gushed as a percentage of volume of the Gulf of Mexico, based on its (relatively) shallow depth as compared to deeper ocean leaks/gushes/spills. Without trying to impose does your friend have any thoughts on that?

My concern is the possibility that the swale/cesspool scenario may become a reality even though the volume of the spill (25-30 million gal.?) may be manageable within 10-14 days. Granted, it may disperse in time, but how much time?

Having stayed in my home (Cutler Ridge) through Andrew and knowing first hand what the hurricane season can do, plus the effects of the gulf stream I am a worried camper about this situation.

Best.

[HooptieWagon]

84. Uh, folks - take the article with a big grain of salt.

The author is engaging in much speculation and fabrication. He initially claims the rig is sitting on top of the blowout valve, which is why they can't shut it off. That is simply not the case, the rig is sitting on it's side a half mile or so from the blowout valve. He corrects this later (sort of) in the article. And I think he's vastly exaggerating the pressure. Anyway, the article doesn't read like an engineer wrote it or was even consulted. Just saying...

[B2G]

85. Ah, the sweet clean air of sanity

Thank you.

[harkadog]

89. Hyper drama is so much more fun though....

[liquid diamond]

88. This tragedy is absolutely terrifying.

:(

[liquid diamond]

90. Leave it to mankind to fuck up the planet. This place was doing

well long before we came into the picture.

[csziggy]

92. The size of the pipe at the beginning is exaggerated

Later he says (emphasis added): "Imaging a long straw that is 1 mile long and has kinked over in several locations. This is about what you have. I have seen the submarine photos from early on. Just a really big straw. It has about a 1.5 or 2 foot diameter drill pipe in the center with about a 10 inch hole down the center. I am not exactly sure on the drill pipe size. The casing here is very thick steel. It has to handle massive pressures."

[Contrary1]

110. The first part refers to an email the site at the link received...

The second part (the quote you posted), is by Paul Noel for Pure Energy Systems News. He would more likely have the available facts, in my opinion.

I did a bit of research and found that the rotary table on this rig was 60 in. in diameter. That may have been where the author of the email picked up the 5 foot in diameter.

[csziggy]

163. Ah - OK. I need to read more carefully. n/t

[Contrary1]

169. No problem. By the time I realized it was a bit confusing, it was too late to edit. n/t

[Xenotime]

97. Great. And they are going to dig another well to 'fix' it. We're fucked.

[jgraz]

99. I say we plug the hole with oil and coal executives

Hey, it's worth a try!

[Lorien]

100. Along with those f*ckers from Halliburton. nt

[jgraz]

101. The more the merrier

Well, I'll be merry at least...

[chill_wind]

102. Can we stuff a few Gold Sachsters

and other banksters in with them while we're at it? 18 months on and still not a one of them has had the decency to jump.

[jgraz]

103. Or... we could just use one really fat right-wing radio host

If only such a person existed... :shrug:

[chill_wind]

105. You push, I'll pull!

eom

[jgraz]

106. I say we take off, drop him in from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

[chill_wind]

107. We might need to add a little ballast--

I'm sure we could find a good selection from Fox.
I'm feeling slightly better about all of this already.

[dotymed]

139. Sure

they could jump off of their stacks of cash

[SammyWinstonJack]

150. Grand idea!

:thumbsup:

[Kablooie]

104. Sounds like it will have just enough time to make 2012 predictions come true.

So who will be running for president then?

[inna]

109. K&R - but a lot in that post should be taken with a grain of salt, to say the least.

When the rig sank it flipped over and landed on top of the drill hole some 5,000 feet under the ocean.

Now they've got a hole in the ocean floor, 5,000 feet down with a wrecked oil drilling rig sitting on top of is spewing 200,000 barrels of oil a day into the ocean. Take a moment and consider that, will you!

First they have to get the oil rig off the hole to get at it in order to try to cap it. Do you know the level of effort it will take to move that wrecked oil rig, sitting under 5,000 feet of water? That operation alone would take years and hundreds of millions to accomplish. Then, how do you cap that hole in the muddy ocean floor? There just is no way. No way.

The only piece of human technology that might address this is a nuclear bomb. I'm not kidding. If they put a nuke down there in the right spot it might seal up the hole. Nothing short of that will work.
...
We're humped. Unless God steps in and fixes this. No human can. You can be sure of that.

That is just such pure lunacy that I'm starting to think the whole post is a hoax. :shrug:


Not to underestimate the looming environmental catastrophe in any way, shape or form.

[SidDithers]

137. +1...

when the author can't get the simple fact of the location of the drill rig correct, it's wise to be skeptical of the rest of the article too.

Sid

[Contrary1]

159. Look at it again...

My fault. my OP should have been clearer. It was too late to edit by the time I realized how it was being taken.

The page shows 2 different people's view. The first part is an email someone at the site received. The second part is a response from someone who sounds like he knows a bit more about it.

[zenprole]

113. Predictions Department

As the Mayan civilization was snuffing it, the last shaman stood on a Yucatan beach with a few neighbors, pointing northward. "Up there. Something's not right. It feels...twitchy." He paused to sniff the salt breeze, then shook his head. "In about a thousand years, a bunch of recklessly greedy and arrogant people are going to do something really, really dumb. There will be no spring break in 2012."

"Is anyone hungry? I could eat a planet."

[DeltaLitProf]

114. Garbage post

The dire message quoted is anonymous and first appeared on the bytemuncher blog. It gets basic facts about the spill wrong.

If you look at the other posts by bytemuncher, you can see that this blogger is himself none too credible. He writes badly. He links to pseudoscientific claptrap and his comments reveal he believes in a good share of it (the discovery of the alleged Noah's Ark remains for example).

And the Paul Noel referred to sounds more like a mechanical jack of all trades than a specialized expert in oil and gas engineering.

Yes this thing is bad, but it's not apocalyptically bad.

[Kitty Herder]

185. That was my impression too.

But still, it scared me. I hope that you're right and this is garbage.

[Hekate]

115. So much sentient life in the seas: dolphins, whales, octopi. I wish they had a way out....

Goodbye and thanks for all the fish. :cry:

Hekate

[jgraz]

116. If only we had sentient life in charge of oil companies...

[Hubert Flottz]

118. Where is John Wayne when we really need him?

Somewhere King George III is laughing at the Colonies...

[Wednesdays]

136. George the III...hmm...

Makes ya wonder what "BP" stands for, doesn't it?

:think:

[secondwind]

121. I've read the comments on the pesn.com link (which I've bookmarked), and I've

never felt so sad in all my 63+ years. This is truly the "mother of all gushers"....THIS IS A MUST READ.

[WinkyDink]

123. 1806~~~ Wordsworth:

THE world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

[carlyhippy]

125. drilling rigs are supposed to have many shut offs in place in case of accident

and even more on an off shore rig...who in the heck built this one?!?!!! If they are all built this shoddy out there, the govt needs to have them all rechecked and make sure they have all the proper shut offs in place.

[Ian David]

127. Halliburton built it. Surprise!

Halliburton in spotlight in gulf spill probe
Investigators look at the company’s role in cementing the deepwater drill hole in the Gulf of Mexico. Transocean and BP also face questioning.

May 01, 2010|By Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times

Investigators delving into the causes of the massive gulf oil spill are examining the role of Houston-based Halliburton Co., the giant energy services company that was responsible for cementing the deepwater drill hole, as well as the possible failure of equipment leased to British Petroleum.

Two members of Congress, Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), called on Halliburton on Friday to provide all documents relating to "the possibility or risk of an explosion or blowout at the Deepwater Horizon rig and the status, adequacy, quality, monitoring, and inspection of the cementing work" by May 7.

Halliburton Chief Executive David Lesar is scheduled to testify before Waxman's energy and commerce committee on May 12, along with top executives Lamar McKay of BP America Inc. and Steve Newman of Transocean Ltd., which leased the drilling rig to BP.

More:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/01/nation/la-na-oil-spill-investigation-20100501

[workinclasszero]

154. Halliburton built it. Surprise!

Halliburton built it. Surprise!
Halliburton built it. Surprise!
Halliburton built it. Surprise!
Halliburton built it. Surprise!
Halliburton built it. Surprise!


Will America EVER WAKE UP? :argh:

[paparush]

146. The rig did not fly a US flag therefore US inspectors were not allowed to inspect it.

Ka ching!

[dixiegrrrrl]

199. The rig is 100 miles out, not a US controlled rig.

Owned by International company, legally USA cannot inspect it, as it turns out.

Wonder how many of the rigs out there are same?

from the 2nd part of the article: by Noel...

The rig that was drilling was not a US Flagged rig. That means US Inspectors were not allowed on board the rig to inspect it. As a matter of National Security under the GATT the USA has a right to demand US Only in various technology. The USA should never allow a foreign flag vessel to drill for oil in the US Economic Zone (200 mile limit).

[carlyhippy]

208. amazing!!! The US cannot inspect it because it's out of borders, well then...

they need to keep that oil from floating into our back yard.

I read on another thread that the US doesn't require that rigs have remote shut offs on the pipelines. I am truly amazed at this, only Norway and Brazil make this a requirement. I would expect the US oil companies would treasure their oil so much as to make sure there are shut offs all up and down the pipe they are losing money with 500,000 gallons of oil being blown into the ocean every day, boo hoo they are losing money, but what a travesty of what it's doing to our fish, sealife, oceans and ecosystem. shame on our big oil for not protecting our earth. If we had gone alternate energy this would have never happened.

[blindpig]

126. Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle on the kiife's edge

There is only one confirmed Kemp's ridley arribada in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where nearly 95% of worldwide Kemp's ridley nesting occurs. The three main nesting beaches in Tamaulipas, Mexico are Rancho Nuevo, Tepehuajes, and Barra del Tordo. Nesting also occurs in Veracruz, Mexico, and Texas, U.S., but on a much smaller scale. Occasional nesting has been documented in North Carolina, South Carolina, and the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/kempsridley.htm

[h9socialist]

134. I believe it

Especially since on May 3rd they're saying it will take another 10 days to have a "temporary cap" ready. Sounds like we're taking our sweet time about it.

[pipi_k]

138. What does it matter...

if we're all dead anyway from the Icelandic volcano that wiped out the entire earth a few weeks ago?


yeah, it's snark.


But, like a couple of people upthread mentioned, even though it's bad, I do think that we'll find a way to stop it and keep the damage to a minimum. Doesn't mean it's not terribly sad, though.

The most "intelligent" creatures to ever walk this planet and all we do is shit on our home, literally and figuratively.

We suck.

[soleft]

140. Reminds of this 60's sci movie crack in the world

They drilled into the core for magma and basically destroyed the planet.

[meow mix]

156. was wondering if this was ever a bad scifi movie

:scared:

[gov for sale]

143. If other nation or terrorist destroyed gulf w/ toxic chemicals we would be at war

...instead we will have a review, nothing hasty ...we need to make certain corporate interest are not disrupted.

Sure as heck no Guantanamo for the folks who covered up the risk, ignored the dangers, and knowingly reaped the rewards of being reckless. The folks that rolled the dice for their own payoff, while gambling with our coastline and national interest. If the disaster could be hung on some idealogical interest they would be kicking down doors, torture, prison, bombs and bullets would be flying.

:rant:

[BobbyBoring]

145. While I haven't

been really happy with Obama, I have to give him credit for being forward thinking. This is why he wants to explore Mars instead of the moon. We will need another place to go when we destroy the earth. I just think it's a little too late. Thanks SCOTUS!

[paparush]

148. The CEO of BP was on NPR this morning saying -

that BP is responsible and BP will pay the bills for cleanup and to reimburse legitimate claims of loss of livelihood.

[workinclasszero]

149. Hey look at the bright side!

Anytime you need some oil just head on down to the nearest ocean/Lake Palin, and scoop some out!

DRILL BABY DRILL!!!!!!!!

[Silent3]

153. It's amazing...

...how all you have to do around here is post a dire prediction of a looming disaster, especially if that disaster can be blamed on greedy corporations or right wing politicians or the generally accepted horribleness of all humankind, and it's uncritically swallowed as the gospel truth by 95% or more of the people who respond to the thread to readily agree how fucked we all are.

DUers seem as eager to embrace human self-destruction as wingnuts are to embrace The Rapture.

OK, at least our concerns here are usually somewhat more based in things that are at least conceivably loosely related to facts, not so much on crazy Bible thumping. For whatever consolation that's worth.

One person on one blog predicting the possible end of the world should do no more than raise a little alarm and encourage people to look for more information to see if the dire predictions happen to pan out. Instead what we get is people seeming almost pleased to have their worst fears vindicated.

[SidDithers]

155. Good post...nt

Sid

[EnviroBat]

157. I could not sleep a wink last night.

I'm beginning to think that man may have just caused the end of our own existence on this planet. We don't yet realize the gravity of this "accident". I am a college educated, and highly intelligent person, and I'm thinking of this in scenarios of the long-term damages to the "life blood" of this living planet. It's almost as if we've ruptured the gall-bladder of the planet and subsequently poisoned her blood-stream inexorably. Much like would happen to you or I if we suddenly leaked bile into one of our arteries. Add to this all of the recent volcanic activity, earth-quakes, and flooding, and it seems to me that something very bad is coming.
We've created a monster here, and it's about to dismantle all of us.

I wasn't ready. If this truly is a sign of the end, maybe it's for the best, but I wasn't ready. There were things I wanted to do. Things like, drive an electric car, visit a wind-farm up close, power my home with solar panels, finish my water-reclamation system, and someday own my home. Things that were going to take some time while working to get out of the debt I've stupidly accumulated over the years.

I feel a little like the fireman who simply turns off the hose when he knows the fire has completely engulfed the building and it's best to just let it all burn to the ground...

[lonestarnot]

158. Revelation 16:3

"And the second angel poured out his bowl into he sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died."

[SidDithers]

165. "Well, Art is Art, isn't it?...

Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know."

- Groucho Marx


One nonsense quote desrves another.

Sid

[lonestarnot]

166. No one is asking you to believe shit.

Sid Dithers. We shall see what we shall see. And Groucho was certainly full of nonsense. :evilgrin:

[SidDithers]

167. That's why I picked him...

seemed appropriate and comparable.

Sid

[lonestarnot]

171. To each his own Sid Dithers.

[Forkboy]

170. LOL

That never gets old. ;)

[SidDithers]

168. 2 Kings 4:6

"When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing."

That's it!!! We only need fill the jars!!

Sid

[lonestarnot]

172. Apparently not.

To each his own in your world? :shrug: What is with you?

[SidDithers]

173. Just trying to point how ridiculous it is to try to connect bible verses...

to the oil spill in the Gulf.

Sid

[lonestarnot]

176. And if I don't agree, I should what, be shot at sunrise?

Can't we just agree to disagree on this one?

[SidDithers]

177. delete. wierd double post...nt

[SidDithers]

178. Shot? No...

But neither should your views be immune from criticism.

Sid

[lonestarnot]

212. I can live with that.

:toast:

[Jokinomx]

211. now we are getting somewhere....lol....

It's amazing how easy it is to find a passage in the bible that seems to fit certain disasters.

:toast:

[Atman]

161. What about what is happening under the earth's crust?

Do we have any clue what happens to the planet itself when this massive amount of pressure (not the mention the volume of oil) is removed from beneath the surface? The ramifications of this are mind-boggling.

.

[dixiegrrrrl]

200. It appaers the entire oil deposit goes UNDER half of the South.

Again, from the article:

"It covers an area off shore something like 25,000 square miles. Natural Gas and Oil is leaking out of the deposit as far inland as Central Alabama and way over into Florida and even over to Louisiana almost as far as Texas. This is a really massive deposit. Punching holes in the deposit is a really scary event as we are now seeing. "

But clever BP goes and drills 100 miles from shore, using an international rig that cannot be inspected by USA, sucks out the oil UNDER the USA land, to avoid paying mineral rights to landowners, to avoid inspections and rules and probably taxes.

[Dogmudgeon]

174. It's fear-mongering

It's a truly horrendous disaster, but it won't even come close to killing the Earth's oceans.

If you read some of his other contributions on that website, you will probably come away with the impression that he is a crank. A bright guy, but still a crank.

Exaggeration is never useful, or even usually justified.

--d!

[tbredbeck]

175. Yes, this is an ecological disaster, but this article is shameless fearmongering.

Collapsing of the sea bed?
Deploy a nuclear bomb?
Claiming that the type of oil means the rocks are fracturing?

This article is full of inaccuracies with respect to how oil production works or affects the rocks around it. The way it's written shows a very poor understanding of the situation.

That being said, the media has been very slow to realize how serious the situation is. I think the independent reports that oil is flowing much faster than the 5000 barrels per day are probably correct. The effect on the Gulf Coast region is going to be very painful and long lasting. This is not, however, going to kill the oceans.

[deacon_sephiroth]

183. what else is new

as decent useful factual sources of information dwindle, you get used to taking only what you need and want from articles and skimming past the ravings designed to generate more hits.

[Giant Robot]

181. I want every fucker that said, "Drill, baby, drill"

To stand the fuck up right now. I want to see some of that personal accountability that a certain party always wants to impose on others. I want to see them all stand up right the fuck now and take responsibility for this fucking mess.


*Crickets*

[RedCloud]

182. What if the evaporation starts to take some oily water up? Is this possible?

And I imagine oily rain would just ruin the ecosystem where it landed.

Better to be one of those crude oil eating bacteria.

[GumboYaYa]

184. This article is complete and utter nonsense. It is filled with incorrect info

From the start they have said it is 5,000 barrels of oil per day (or 210,000 gallons). The "engineer" seems to not know the difference. The fear is that the pipe will blow and the volume can go as high as 50,000 barrels a day or higher.

The volume of oil that has spilled to date is not significantly more than the amount that was spilled during Katrina. In warmer climates the oil breaks up more easily. It is easier to clean than in colder climates. The oils also provides some fertilizer to the marsh grasses. It is inconceivable that the oil spill will contaminate the oceans of the world. Those are the positives.

Obviously this is a tragic event for South LA, which can hardly take another. If you like shrimp, crabs, or oysters, buy them right now. We don't have hardly any in Louisiana right now. Yesterday the shrimp at the seafood markets sold out before noon. There isn't any more coming for a while. They closed major shrimping and crabbing grounds today. Grasses may be okay with oil, but birds and fish are not. The damage to the local seafood industry may be massive and long-term. My only hope is that it finally gets the rest of the country to wake up to the importance of our coastal wetlands.

I am extremely worried that the cure for our marshes may be worse than the disease. No one knows what the massive deployment of "dispersing" chemicals will do to our ecosystem. I dread the though of massive BP equipment running through the marshes captained by some jokers from Halliburton or some other conglomerate who have no idea what they are doing. I pray that the people who clean this up turn it over to the local fishers and shrimpers for their lives.

[RedCloud]

186. Why not have Palin give a speech to the oil leak and bore it to death?

Then again that may usher in a global extinction of epic proportions.

[closeupready]

191. lol

:D That made me laugh. :hi:

[B2G]

188. I can't believe 141 people have recc'd this thread.

Amazing.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

190. The blowout will continue for 2 years, then cause a cataclysmic shift in the earth's axis.

The ancient Mayans told me so.

[MilesColtrane]

195. This accident it horrible enough without some blogger telling us...

to light our hair on fire and run screaming through the streets.

[feslen]

196. as the politicians on both sides, particularly the Neo-thugs would say

who CARES, we get Greenbacks, lots of it, right? oil also runs our civilization....its as clean as coal! *sarcasm*

[texastoast]

198. Oh, Jesus, Worse than the IXTOC?

I knew I remembered another horrible spill, but I don't know if the Horizon spill will be much, much worse, given the difference in depth.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/05/one_gulf_oil_spill_went_for_ne.html

[Oilwellian]

203. So why are they drilling yet another hole to relieve pressure?

Well, this time they hit a pocket of oil at such high pressure that it burst all of their safety valves all the way up to the drilling rig and then caused the rig to explode and sink.

If the rig couldn't handle the first hole, why in the FUCK are they drilling another one?

[Ruby the Liberal]

205. They want the oil?

:hide:

[B2G]

206. They are drilling a second hole to intercept the first one

which will effectively divert the oil from the faulty well to the new one. The new one will then be capped.

[tbredbeck]

210. Well normally

Normally they can handle this pressure. They lost control of the well because of an equipment failure, not because they drilled into something unusual.

The second well will drill down to the reservoir, close to the first well, and then can inject material to block the first well in that reservoir.

In a purely technical sense, this is somewhat straightforward to do. In terms of the environment which has to deal with 20,000 barrels per day while waiting, well that's something else completely...

[Uncle Joe]

204. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Contrary.

[dorkulon]

215. Started a fact-check thread on this tripe:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8273416

[SidDithers]

218. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop this bit of doomsday idiocy from hitting +150...nt

Sid

[paulkienitz]

216. Russian suggestion: nuke the spill

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0504/russian-paper-suggests-nuclear-explosion-cut-gulf-oil-geyser/

[upi402]

217. Climate change deniers are in a lather

They're busy smearing anyone trying to explain ecology and how it is destroyed. Traitors to life itself.