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Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Damaged Oil Rig Spewing 42,000 Gallons of Oil Per Day into Gulf of Mexico

Originally, it was believed - or at least reported - that the damaged oil rig off the coast of Louisiana was not an active oil leak. The slick that had formed was reported to have been residual oil from the rig itself and the wellhead was believed to be stable. Of course, that has since been proven not to be the case. The wellhead is actively spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of 42,000 gallons per day. And while that sounds like an enormous amount of oil, it's actually fairly manageable by environmental disaster standards.

Officials and clean-up crews are battling high seas and difficult conditions as they try to contain the growing spill. It's difficult to determine whether or not the slick will make its way toward land or if the majority of the oil can be collected and cleaned up at sea.

At this point, the primary objective is closing the wellhead and stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf. Deep-water robotic submarines are on the scene, trying to close valves designed to stop the flow of oil from the well. Unfortunately, the valves are located at least a mile below the surface and it is unknown whether shutting the valves will stop the oil. If the well suffered extensive damage, it may take months to drill relief wells to try to stop the flow of oil.

In the meantime, the environmental damage is only going to grow. Even if the oil doesn't make direct landfall, it's going to have an immediate impact on the marine life in the area as well as birds and other animals. It will likely be some time before officials have a firm handle on the extent of the damage to the local ecosystems.

Oceanography Current Events

Even the fact that oceans cover 71 percent of the total surface area of the Earth is not enough to provide you with the details of the biodiversity of these water bodies. The actual number of marine biome plants and animal species which inhabit these oceans goes way beyond the thousand mark, with several species waiting to be discovered as of today. The information provided in the number of oceanography current events articles which are published in the dailies and magazines is nothing as compared to what actually lies at the ocean floor. The life in the depth of these oceans is quite dynamic with a number of marine events taking place at any given point time.

Oceanography Current Events 2010

The marine biome, which consists of the five oceans of the world - i.e. the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, covers approximately 71 percent of the total surface area of the planet Earth. The branch of Earth science which deals with the physical and biological aspects of these oceans is known as oceanography, marine science or oceanology. Scientists involved in oceanography keep a track of various events that occur in these oceans, and compile the data of these events. While some oceanography events and findings are astonishing, others are equally alarming. Either ways the occurrences in these oceans are quite interesting, and therefore shouldn't be ignored. Given below is a list of some of the most prominent current events in marine biology which is bound to leave you spell bound.

Oceans Encroaching Upon Land
Rising sea level, which can be attributed to rise in the surface temperature of the planet due to global warming, is threatening the low lying areas and small islands in various parts of the world. Global warming has been melting the glaciers and expanding the ocean water by heating, which, in turn, is encroaching upon the land. Maldives islands sinking and sea water encroaching on flood plains of Bangladesh are the best examples of this phenomenon.

Microbes are Disappearing
The microbes, which constitute for 90 percent of the ocean biomass, are disappearing at an alarming rate. These microbes absorb greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, in the oceans and thus play a crucial role in regulating the temperature of our planet. The alarming rate at which these microbes are dying only hints at the difficult times towards which we are heading.

Hypoxia in Oceans
The oxygen levels in ocean water is depleting, which has resulted in hypoxia in various parts of the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Even though scientists have come across oxygen deficient pockets in oceans in the past, the rate at which these pockets are spreading has left these scientists alarmed. Studies in marine biology have revealed that the amount of oxygen concentration in ocean water in certain parts of the world has gone down by 34 percent over the last five decades.

Oil Spills and Oil Seeps
Oil spill is yet another issue which has been threatening various oceans of the world. While oil spills triggered by human error have been common over the last few years, the instances of natural oil seeps in certain parts of the ocean have also become quite frequent. Some instances of oil spills triggered by human error over the last year include Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Mumbai oil spill, Barataria Bay oil spill, etc. The best example of natural oil seep, on the other hand, is the Gulf of Mexico oil seep.

These were some of the most prominent events that have been occurring in the oceans over the last few years. Other than the above mentioned oceanography current events, extinctions of marine species, expeditions by various countries, are some of the prominent events which deserve a mention. The vast expanse of ocean biomes makes it difficult to keep a track of all the events that take place in them. That being said, the chances of we missing on some important events that took place in these oceans cannot be ignored. At the end of the day, we can take these events as signs of the problems we are likely to face in the future and put in some efforts in order to make sure that we don't contribute to the damage that is being induced upon the marine life.

By Abhijit Naik

Injury, regeneration and growth of Caribbean reef corals after a major oil spill in Panama

Guzman, HM | Burns, KA | Jackson, JBC
Marine ecology progress series. Oldendorf [MAR. ECOL. PROG. SER.]. Vol. 105, no. 3, pp. 231-241. 1994.

We studied effects of a major oil spill in Panama on injury, regeneration and growth of subtidal reef corals over 5 yr. Corals exhibited much higher levels of injury, faster regeneration rates and slower growth on heavily oiled reefs. Concentrations of hydrocarbons in reef sediments were significantly positively correlated with amounts of coral injury and significantly negatively correlated with coral growth. The probable cause of persistently high levels of coral injury is chronic exposure to sediments mixed with partially degraded oil that are exported from mangroves onto adjacent reefs. Injury apparently results in a reallocation of resources to regeneration and consequently decreased investment in fecundity and growth. There was no evidence of coral recovery 5 yr after the oil spill.

Did Federal Rule Changes Contribute to the BP Disaster?

The federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) is the government office that is responsible for regulating offshore oil rigs. As part of those regulations, oil rig operators are required to submit to the government a "blowout scenario" that details how a company would handle a major spill if a catastrophe occurred on a rig. The type of catastrophe that is now playing itself out in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, and sank, killing 11 workers.

The blowout scenario plans were supposed to require operators of oil rigs to estimate how much oil would be flowing from a well each day, and the total amount that might leak if there was a single incident. The plans should also explain how a spill would be stopped, what methods would be used, the amount of time it would take to stop a leak, how long the company would need to drill a relief well, and whether or not there was potential for a leak to stop on its own.

However, in 2008, the MMS changed its rules about blowout scenarios, saying that such plans were necessary only if certain conditions applied. For example, if a rig operator was going to install a facility on the surface to drill in water that was more than 1,312 feel deep, a blowout scenario must be filed. But according to BP spokesman William Salvin, the Deepwater Horizon project did not meet the established definition of "surface facility," and the MMS agreed. "The production platform is what’s considered a surface facility," said Salvin. "This was an exploratory well, not a production well." At the time the rules were changed, MMS said that BP met the conditions necessary for being exempted from having to submit a disaster plan, so the company had no specific plan for Deepwater Horizon. Savin has said in interview that despite the lack of a formal plan being submitted, the company was always prepared to handle a problem because of the detail in a 582-page plan they developed for the Gulf region to deal with a disaster on any of their rigs in that region.

However, the MMS has been criticized for a long time for being perceived as being too soft on the industry it is supposed to be regulating. In 2008, disciplinary action was pursued by the Interior Department against 8 employees of the MMS who were given lavish gifts and parties, and in some cases even had sex with some employees at the energy companies they were supposed to be regulating. The investigation found that employees in the Denver office of the MMS were engaged in a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity," and MMS workers were required to undergo ethics training.

Brendan Cummings, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, told reporters that the exploration plan that was filed by BP for the Deepwater Horizon project did not analyze the risks of an oil spill in enough detail. On behalf of the Center, Cummings has filed suit against the government for another offshore drilling rig in Alaska, owned by Royal Dutch Shell. "The technology used on the now-sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf was supposed to be the most advanced in the world, including various mechanisms to prevent or cap a blowout," Cummings said in filing the suit. "None of these mechanisms worked, and the state-of-the-art technology completely failed to stop the spill."

The lack of a plan being on record for the Deepwater Horizon is troubling, to say the least, because the drilling was being done in extremely deep waters and therefore a leak could be a catastrophic event. Many feel that the change in rules by the MMS resulted in an outrageous omission, and they were clearly not doing their job correctly, and that someone fumbled the ball terribly. In an exploration plan created by BP last year, the company discounted the chance of a catastrophic leak. In similar fashion, Shell created an environmental impact analysis regarding its Beaufort Sea underwater drilling plan. That analysis concludes that the possibility of a large spill of liquid hydrocarbon "is regarded as too remote and speculative to be considered a reasonably foreseeable impacting event."

Middle School: Science Activities for Middle School

Every once in a while, kids get bored of studying about science, the rules, and how they are implied to the real life. Whether it is chemistry, life science, physical science, or environmental science, books don't always make sense and the words get forgotten. As a parent, is there anything you can do about it? Are there any science activities for middle school kids, that can keep them interested and invoke the will to learn more? Yes, there is. In fact, there are tons of middle school science activities that you can perform at your home. So this weekend, instead of going out to the mall or playing video games, shop for some science project materials and start studying. Read more on homemade volcano science project.

Fun Middle School Science Activities

Give the kids of middle school some hands-on learning with exciting science activities to study from. Let them put all the theories and homework to good use. These science activities for middle school will test their skills and knowledge about the world around them. Read more on physical science projects.

How oil spills are harmful to wildlife?
We hear it on the television and radio stations about hundreds of volunteers cleaning the areas where the mess has been made due to oil spills. It is our responsibility to realize the dangers it could do now and in the future. These oil spills can result in animals getting soaked in them and then getting poisoned by trying to lick it off. This experiment will help your kids learn how to apply water, oil, and soap to a feather, and understand how difficult it is for oil to separate from it.

Materials Needed:

Liquid soap
Vegetable oil
Toothbrush
Corn oil
Feather

Procedure

Get all the materials ready and make three charts by the name of "Absorbed", "Repelled", and "Changes" written on top of each. Ask him/her to make columns by the name of "Water", "Oil", and "Liquid Soap" on the left side of each chart. Take the feather and let him/her examine its structure. Now dip the feather in the oil and check if the feather has absorbed or repelled it. Check for any other unusual changes in the feather. Sprinkle some water over the feather and see if it absorbs or repels that as well. In a bowl, combine water and liquid soap. Using the toothbrush, try to take out the oil from the feather. Check what the results are and see how well he/she can clean the feather. Did the feather regain its original form?

How strong are a bird's bones?
Birds have the ability to fly because they have hollow, lightweight bones. But have you ever wondered how strong these bones need to be, even if they are hollow? For this experiment, your kid will have to see how strong can a hollow structure be.

Materials Needed

3 printer papers
Paper plate
Pennies
Tape

Procedure

First of all, make the concept clear that birds have hollow bones. If he/she already knows about it, then half your work is done. Roll the printer papers into 1 inch diameter tubes and tape the edges to make sure they don't unroll. These three tubes will be your hollow bones. Hold the tubes at equal distance and tape the paper plate over them. Now ask your kid to make an assumption as to how many pennies can the bones hold? Write down the estimate and start adding the pennies one at a time. Make sure the pennies are evenly distributed around the middle of the plate. This will keep the structure in balance. Keep adding pennies till the bones can't take the weight anymore and collapse. Did the estimate come true? Did the structure hold less or more pennies?

Can eggs bungee jump?
Bungee jumping is a fun sport and I am guessing that your kid might think so as well. But this experiment doesn't require him/her to bungee jump. We will use an egg to do the job and see if the we can answer our question.

Materials Needed

1 egg
Pair of pantyhose
Pennies
Newspaper
Tape

Procedure

The perfect location to perform the experiment is a tree branch or a ladder. Your kid will be lying on the ground as he/she looks up at the hanging egg. The distance between the hanging egg and your kid shouldn't be more than an inch apart. Measure the distance with the ruler. Before you begin, have him/her hold the egg in the right hand and pennies in the left hand. Till both the weights feel similar, keep adding pennies in his/her hand. Take those pennies and stuff them in one leg of the pantyhose. Take the other leg and tape it to the tree branch or ladder. Leave the pantyhose and check the distance between the end of the leg and the ground. The distance should be exactly the same as you had calculated before. Make any necessary changes if you have to. Now take the pennies out and place the egg in its place. Have your kid lie underneath the branch or ladder and let go of the pantyhose. Did the egg crack open inside the pantyhose and splatter all over his/her face?

For more science activities for middle school kids, go to:

These were some of the science activities for middle school kids. These experiments are exciting and will never make your kid get bored. Come up with new and improved middle school science activities to keep him/her busy.

By Sheetal Mandora