It's A Miracle

[woodster]

just came back home from Fair Hope this past week end and found out that B P company is laying of a majior amounts of the oil clean up people down there ....went out to Daphine Island and observed about 14 bouts that are on the pay roll just puttering around in the bay not doing much work what so ever .....looking like a easter pariade....i am just amazed at how well they have done in making the oil go away......it seems to maraculsey dissappered......plz ingnor the spelling ...sarcasim over .....did take a ferry ride across the bay and didnt see any oil ...guess thats a good sign....but as jimmy buffet says only time will tell.....


regards

woody

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

It's mother nature aided by dispersants and warm weather

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse..._11_1200CDT_20100808_2000CDT_rs_1_.852959.pdf

 

[Ross]

Re: It's A Miracal

Woodster, you sound disappointed. Did you not think that it would clean up? There is a constant flow of crude oil into the gulf from natural seeps. As a result there are colonies of microbes that feed on the oil. We even find some of them in our fuel tanks when we get a little water in the fuel.

 

[woodster]

Re: It's A Miracal

not disappointed Ross just suprised at how fast it was declared clean enough to start laying off the clean up crews based on the fact that in Alaska they still are finding oil from the Valdez event......

regards

woody

 

[sailaway78]

A friend of mine

Who also posts on this board, Capt. Chuck Creel, is currently working for BP. On a tug, which basically just sits with a crane barge. Moves the barge whenever necessary. They are over at Horn Island, which is a few miles west of Dauphin Island. The crane is skimming up sand that is saturated/contaminated with oil. He told me that they have skimmed 3feet of sand, and are still finding oil. Last week some friends of mine, the family of Seadance, who also posts on here, went to Gulf Shores, Alabama. The water looked clean and clear, so they let their 6 year old son go in the water. He came out with oil stains on him. This is not going to go away in the near future.

 

[LooseDiamond]

Weekend before last I spent 3 days and two nights on the water. First night S. of Cat Is. south spit. Caught several ladyfish that morning and hooked into a big shark. Much baitfish and birds. Entered Smuggler's Cove on the SW side. Sand and marsh grass looked as always, as did vegetation above the tideline. Hermit crabs and minnows swimming. By all appearances looked normal. Tar balls lined the beach on the S side, however. I have pictures will post when more time. I spent quite some time in the water cleaning hull and noticed nothing untoward on my body. Sailed to W side of Ship Is. Swam at least four times there to beat the heat. No oil on me. Weather was nice, good breeze at night and slept in the cockpit with only shorts on both nights. Plenty of boats as described. They motor in formation looking for oil. Plenty of chatter on the VHF. I understand Horn took a bigger hit. From my personal observation, it is a mixed bag, but I was encouraged by what I saw. Whatever is happening below the surface and with the marine life cycles time will tell. Mother earth is a resilient old girl, and she will survive this.

 

[wonkodsane]

Re: It's A Miracal

The microscopic critters that like the taste of oil thrive in warmer conditions. Alaska is not as friendly to them.

Mind you, there will still be areas left a mess for a long time. Those microbes don't like tarballs as much as they like the free-floating and mixed together oil.

Something I heard a lot of people talking about was how much of the lighter oil components were just evaporating from the surface because of how warm the Gulf is, but what I want to know is where those components end up, if not somewhere else in the ecosystem. All of the nasty things that cause acid rain and other forms of rain-borne pollution are just going to end up wherever the prevailing winds take them (i.e. inland to MS,LA, and TX).

 

[Ross]

Re: It's A Miracal

Wonkodsane wrote:"Something I heard a lot of people talking about was how much of the lighter oil components were just evaporating from the surface because of how warm the Gulf is, but what I want to know is where those components end up, if not somewhere else in the ecosystem."

Those are called "volatile organic compounds" and here on the mid atlantic coast and in several other areas of the country there are restrictions on their use because they contribute to the smog problems. The do eventually degrade into carbon dioxide and water but not as fast as we would like them to degrade.

 

[wonkodsane]

Ross, kind of what I thought, my question was mostly hyperbolic (versus parabolic or circular. (-: )

 

[Ross]

Tar is quite durable. there is an oil seep in California called the tar pits that has trapped animals from before humans roamed north america. This oil spill matbe the worst in human memory but I will bet that it isn't the worst ever. Those canyons out west that are lined with oil shale may once have been 18000 feet down and been raised by geologic action to the surface.

Edit to add link: http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=2603

 

[JonnyQuest]

VOCs and volatility

(Let me preface to say that I live by the beach and definitely have a dog in this fight--I want my beaches and water cleaned up fast and well. That being said, I see reality as being closer to the miracle cleanup view versus the generations long effects views.)

Now on to the chemistry lecture ...

VOCs, as others have stated are indeed volatile and break down rather quickly when exposed weathering conditions... air/water agitation, heat, etc.

The concerns with VOCs are long term versus short term, and thus the important factor is whether the source is continuously replenishing the VOCs or not. Living down stream of a power plant emitting VOCs is a concern; living in a home where the carpets are off-gassing VOCs for a prolonged period of time is a concern. All because there is a renewing source, and in the case of a house not much agitation to increase the volatilization. This is only a crude generalization of the threats from VOCs; of course heavy immediate exposure will be toxic and possibly mutagenic to individuals.

I'm optimistic that the majority of the threats from the VOCs will be and have been passing quickly. By this time next year I expect the only issues will be weathered (largely non-toxic) heavier crudes trapped in lower sands and possibly still in the La. marshes. And that too will degrade and be consumed by the Gulf microbes in the short term.

 

[Ross]

Re: VOCs and volatility

Some interesting reading: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000127082228.htm

http://www.energytribune.com/articl...pills-Havent-and-Wont-Kill-the-Gulf-Of-Mexico

 

[zeehag]

i am deeply impressed by the "it LOOKS clean, therefore it must BE clean" bs being spewed---there is below surface oil--observed by scientists, there is unseen oil (until swimmers come out gooey), and the marshes wuth the alleged "it was always there" bs being spewed by the fubar powers that be folks--there is clearing of it and there are places that will NEVER return to whatever is considered "normal". the shame of it all is the areas of least financial capability are being sloughed off as if it didnt exist and had no impact on our country and the realities of life. these areas are the areas in which most of the critter breeding occurs and wherein folks depend on clean water for their livelihood. when we lose track of the smaller beings in the food chain is when the larger ones become affected. keep watching this...isnt going to be over for a long long time yet.
disinformation and misinformation abound here--most of the damage was done on the western end of the spew--and even there are contained within areas of no damage and areas of severe damage---cat island isnt that far from horn island--horn got hit hard, as described in nne's posting...and i spoke with the individual who is babysitting the crane also--and i was told same thing as was nne----so--some may find bad stuff some may find no bad stuff--however it is--there IS big time and long term reversible as well as irreversible damage done to the gulf coast. that goes without debate. the duration of time through which this damage will last is yet unknown.