Gulf Oil Spill & Hurricanes

[wxdata]

Interesting read from USA Today

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... e-season/1

[weatherguy425]

When you consider the size of the spill, compared to the whole Gulf of Mexico, its hard to imagine it having any effect?

[wxdata]

Here's an interesting read for USA Today about how hurricanes in the Gulf may worsen the oil spill

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/ ... pill_N.htm

[biggerbyte]

I don't buy that at all. What I do worry about, however, is what happens with all of this mess as a hurricane passes over it and eventually on shore somewhere. Then the whole issue with the chemicals BP is using to breakup the oil, which is highly toxic, by the way, and is banned in the UK. A hurricane could lift this oil and toxic chemicals over land and leave behind something that we've never witnessed before during hurricane season.

Now I'm hearing today that our government knew BP was using these chemicals, and are just now, four weeks later, telling them to use a less toxic substance. What?????

[wxdata]

Another interesting read:

http://www.khou.com/news/national/Oil-c ... 21869.html

[wxman57]

140 million gallons in 1979, 19 million so far with this spill. How is it the "worst oil spill in history" in the Gulf? In 1979, hurricanes had the effect of breaking up the oil and scouring the beaches clean. Let's hope this year's storms have the same effect.

[Ptarmigan]

140 million gallons in 1979, 19 million so far with this spill. How is it the "worst oil spill in history" in the Gulf? In 1979, hurricanes had the effect of breaking up the oil and scouring the beaches clean. Let's hope this year's storms have the same effect.

Ixtoc 1, the worst peacetime oil spill. No one died after a blow out happened. Also, a hurricane hampered in stopping it, Henri. Then Governor Bill Clemens said, "There's no use crying over spilled milk." Also, there was another massive oil spill in 1979, Atlantic Empress/Aegean Captain, 6 weeks after Ixtoc 1. It happened off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.

Actually, there was another one in Kern County California, Lakeview Gusher in 1910, but that happened on land. The biggest was the Persian Gulf Oil Spill in 1991.

Ixtoc 1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I_oil_spill

Houston Chronicles-Spill in 1979 was bigger, but not necessarily worse
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl//bu ... 76966.html

List Of Largest Oil Spill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spill# ... oil_spills

[wxman57]

Interesting short paper by Jeff Masters and Dennis Feltgen of NHC. Good comparison shot of Gustav (average-sized hurricane) vs. the oil spill.

http://myweb.cableone.net/nolasue/comparison.pdf

Satellite shot of Gustav with oil area superimposed:

[Paul]

so really it wont make a difference on hurricane intensity. What it will do though, is push up inland with the surge making a bigger mess for someone on the coast.

[wxman57]

so really it wont make a difference on hurricane intensity. What it will do though, is push up inland with the surge making a bigger mess for someone on the coast.

That's a possibility, but it could also disperse all the oil and clean it off of some coasts, as storms did after the MUCH bigger 1979 spill (140 million gallons then, 19 million now).

[Stormrider]

Coutld any of the oil and chemicals come down inland acid rain? Talk about a toxic gumbo, or as I call it, an "oilycane."

[biggerbyte]

Coutld any of the oil and chemicals come down inland acid rain? Talk about a toxic gumbo, or as I call it, an "oilycane."

Hmm! Not likely, though I too thought about the, "what if" that were to happen. You can't lift the oil into the clouds like water, meaning vapor. However, the chemicals BP is using is another story. Logic would say that the oil itself would be a coastal problem. Anything other than oil, such as chemicals and filth would be something that falls in the maybe catagory. If it starts raining oil, I'm out of here..

At any rate... I really hope somebody stops this mess before we get a storm in the gulf. If they don't, anyone living on the coast surrounding the Gulf are in for troublesome times.