Where Is the Spill Site?

Here is the spill site using Google maps (click any image to see a bigger, clearer version of the image):

This NOAA image gives a basic overview of the oil spill site in relation to the surrounding area:

The oil spill is occurring within the “Macondo prospect”, which is located in Mississippi Canyon Block 252 in the Gulf of Mexico.

Here is an image showing the Mississippi Canyon compared to other areas in the Gulf of Mexico:

This shows the relation of Block 252 to nearby sites:

Here is Block 252 shown in comparison with nearby sites:

And this is the definitive high-resolution map showing block 252 in comparison with other prospects in the Mississippi Canyon area and surrounding areas.

But in order to really get a feel for what’s happening underwater, we should look at detailed topographic maps. Indeed, knowing the topography and the geology at the spill site is crucial in understanding the risks involved and being able to determine the best approach for stopping the leak.

Topography of the Spill Site

Here’s a map of the Gulf of Mexico:

Here’s another map courtesy of Wired (the spill site is between the two sets of red hash marks):

Here’s an image of the Gulf of Mexico, showing the Sigsbee and Florida Escarpments (Block 252 is approximately half way in between the 2 escarpments):

Here is a satellite image of the area provided by the Minerals Management Service and NOAA’s Multipurpose Marine Cadastre:

Here is a close-up Here is a close-up (I placed a hand icon at the approximate location of the oil spill based on latitude and longitude):

Here is an image – courtesy of NOAA’s GeoPlatform service – showing the topography surrounding the leaking wellhead:

Here is a close up of the same image:

Here is the same image with the spill location indicator removed, so that you can see the slope of the area at the spill site:

(Note: the GeoPlatform service is also very useful for forecasting the near-term trajectory of the oil spill).

Here is a map giving a different view of the steep canyon in which the oil spill site is located:

Some oil industry professionals are worried that a landslide at the spill site could make the oil spill much worse by carrying away the blowout preventer, riser and all other equipment. While I have no idea how likely it is that a landslide could occur before the well is capped, it is true that:

1. The spill site is located in a steep canyon;
2. There are hundreds of feet of loose mud and muck on top of the sea floor in this area; and
3. Many deepwater, oi-rich areas within the Gulf are tectonically active.

Source:  http://www.zerohedge.com/article/where-oil-spill

Sea Water passes through: Oil Doesn’t

A group at the University of Pittsburgh has developed a chemical that can be used to readily convert textiles (either natural or man-made) into an inexpensive and efficient water-oil separator.

This video shows how a piece of chemically treated cotton cloth is able to separate oil from Gulf of Mexico sea water.  The treated cloth allows water to path through but not oil.  Quick…someone get Costner on the phone.

How deep is the Deepwater Horizon rig? Karl Tate from OurAmazingPlanet.com put together this handy chart that shows the relative depth of the Deepwater Horizon compared to other recognizable features of the planet…manmade and otherwise (click on the image below to see the whole chart):

BP had ultimate authority over drilling decisions, the Deepwater Horizon’s chief mechanic, Doug Brown said in sworn testimony Wednesday.

The BP company man at a meeting stood up and said, “This is how it’s going to be.”

The BP official, a “company man” in industry parlance, would have been the top decision-maker on the rig, although his role may have been complicated by having a number of higher-ranking BP officials on hand to celebrate the Deepwater Horizon’s safety record.

A BP employee named Donald Vidrine, who’s been identified as one of the company men, was on the original witness list for the multi-day hearings, but is no longer scheduled to testify due to an undisclosed medical condition.

The other BP employee on the witness list is Robert Kaluza, who did appear but pleaded the Fifth.

BP refused to identify what role Kaluza and Vidrine had on the Deepwater Horizon.

Michael Williams, a Transocean employee who was chief electronics technician on the rig, said there was “confusion” between those high-ranking officials in an 11 a.m. meeting on the day of the rig blast, according to a sworn statement.

According to Mr. Williams’s account, Transocean’s rig manager, Jimmy Wayne Harrell, was discussing the plans for the next few hours’ work, including taking out the drilling mud and running a test to make sure gas wasn’t seeping into the well. Mr. Harrell explained in the meeting that he had received the plans from BP.

Then, according to Mr. Williams’s statement, the top-ranked BP employee assigned to the rig, Donald Vidrine, disagreed and said “that was not the correct procedure.”

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp is taking a $50 million stake in California electric carmaker Tesla Motors, which will take over a closed San Francisco-area Toyota plant for its all-electric sedan, the companies said on Thursday.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk (of Paypal and Space-X fame) described the investment as a “gesture of support” from Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda, who approached him and struck a deal in a whirlwind corporate romance that included dinner at Musk’s house and a test ride around Los Angeles in a pricey electric Roadster sport car.

Toyota gets Tesla Stake

BP now reports they are siphoning 210,000 gallons of oil per day. But that’s not ALL the oil coming out of the leak. Last week they were estimating the leak was spewing 210,000 gallons a day…no it looks like twice that.

Using the following widget, let’s say BP is harvesting half of the oil using the siphon tube. That would mean there was at least 420,000 gallons per day is leaking from the pipe — 12.5 million gallons total so far. We’re beyond the Exxon Valdez at this point.

The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) was signed into law in August 1990, largely in response to rising public concern following the Exxon Valdez incident.

The OPA created the national Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is available to provide up to one billion dollars per spill incident.

Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the owner or operator of a facility from which oil is discharged (also known as the responsible Party) is liable for the costs associated with the containment or cleanup of the spill and any damages resulting from the spill. The EPA’s first priority is to ensure that responsible parties pay to clean up their own oil releases. However, when the responsible party is unknown or refuses to pay, funds from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund can be used to cover removal costs or damages resulting from discharges of oil.

The primary source of revenue for the fund is a five-cents per barrel fee on imported and domestic oil.

In addition, the OPA provided new requirements for contingency planning both by government and industry. The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) has been expanded in a three-tiered approach: the Federal government is required to direct all public and private response efforts for certain types of spill events; Area Committees — composed of federal, state, and local government officials — must develop detailed, location-specific Area Contingency Plans; and owners or operators of vessels and certain facilities that pose a serious threat to the environment must prepare their own Facility Response Plans.

Oil Pollution Act Overview | Emergency Management | US EPA.

Now we’ll just have to drive to the beach to fill up our SUV’s.  Hey Sarah, how’s that “Drilly Spilly” thing workin out for ya?

People will need to consider turning vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to Lord Stern, a former chief economist of the World Bank and now I. G. Patel Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics.

He predicts that people’s attitudes will evolve until meat eating became unacceptable. “I think it’s important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating,” he said. “I am 61 now and attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed radically since I was a student. People change their notion of what is responsible. They will increasingly ask about the carbon content of their food.”

Lord Stern is deeply concerned that popular opinion had so far failed to grasp the scale of the changes needed to address climate change, or of the importance of the UN meeting in Copenhagen from December 7 to December 18. “I am not sure that people fully understand what we are talking about or the kind of changes that will be necessary,” he added.

Silly Brit.

Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet – Times Online.

A new study by researchers at the University of Southampton has found that sea levels have been rising across the south coast of England over the past century, substantially increasing the risk of flooding during storms.

The data shows that both average sea levels and extreme sea levels have been rising at a similar rate through the 20th Century. The rate of rise is in the range 1.2 to 2.2 mm per year.

THAT’S PER YEAR, FOLKS!!!!   2.2 millimeters per year.

Better start packing the sandbags now because in 100 years you’ll need a 9″ dyke.

Which reminds me of a joke…A tiny lesbian walks into a bar…

Rising Sea Levels Are Increasing Risk Of Flooding Along South Coast Of England.