Oil Spill

Ashley Chi
Oil Spill

What could be described as the greatest environmental tragedy the U.S. has seen started as a fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig located about 40 miles offshore from Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico. This led to an explosion, which caused pipelines to break off from the oil well and caused crude oil to start leaking out at the alarmingly quick speed at 5,000 barrels of oil per day. The London-based energy giant BP, who has a lease on the rig, claimed full responsibility of the oil rig and the cleanup. President Barack Obama has enlisted the use of every available resource that can be used to stop the leaks, including the employment of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The oil spill was a result of a fire on board the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located 41 miles off the shore of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. On Apr. 22, the fire caused the oil rig to explode and sink, thus severing the oil pipe leading from the rig to an oil well located 5,000 feet in to the ocean. As the oil pipe broke off, the oil started leaking out of the various openings. Remote-controlled robot submarines attempted to activate a device called the blowout preventer, which would stop the oil flow, but the device would not turn on. As of now, the oil is leaking at a rate of 5,000 barrels (about 210,000 gallons) per day. However, on May 5, one of the leaks has been capped with a valve. Everyone who can help, from Louisiana fishermen to BP skimmer vessels, are pooling all of their resources to stop the leaks. Despite these efforts, the first of the oil spill touched the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast and uninhabited barrier islands that are part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge on May 6. Freshman Anna Wang said the "fail-safe" system that was supposed to keep this type of thing from happening failed. Freshman Kerry Wang agreed and said, “the entire surrounding area will be affected for years.”

The greatest victims may be the inhabitants of the ecosystems that line the Gulf coast, which is also one of the U.S.’s most abundant sources of seafood. Wildlife of all types, including birds, dolphins, shrimp, oysters and crabs are threatened. A few grounds are that are important nesting and breeding areas for many bird species have already been touched by the oil slick. Freshman Annie Tung believes that “the entire situation will have a long-term effect on our ecosystems.” Unstable weather, including thunderstorms and strong winds, and choppy seas have helped to blow the oil at an even faster rate than it is traveling at now. All different types of methods are being used to contain the oil. Barriers called booms that resemble very large life jackets with their bright orange color and buoyant filling are a key component to deflecting the spread of oil. As many as 400 fishermen from southern Louisiana are combining their efforts and pulling together to work as temporary hazmat cleanup and wetlands protection experts, now that their fishing season is over. Air Force planes are continuously spraying chemicals that will break up the oil. New methods of breaking up the oil are being tried and tested as well, such as the use of a 98-ton funnel to be lowered over the site of one of the two remaining leaks.

[will write conclusion once there is more progress/updates in the situation (whether the predicted outcome is positive/negative, etc.)]

How To Stop Oil
An Oily Situation

What could be described as the greatest environmental tragedy the U.S. has seen started as a fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig located about 40 miles offshore from Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico. This led to an explosion, which caused pipelines to break off from the oil well and caused crude oil to start leaking out at the alarmingly quick speed at 5,000 barrels of oil per day. The London-based energy giant BP, who has a lease on the rig, claimed full responsibility of the oil rig and the cleanup. President Barack Obama has enlisted the use of every available resource that can be used to stop the leaks, including the employment of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The oil spill was a result of a fire on board the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located 41 miles off the shore of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. On Apr. 22, the fire caused the oil rig to explode and sink, thus severing the oil pipe leading from the rig to an oil well located 5,000 feet in to the ocean. As the oil pipe broke off, the oil started leaking out of the various openings. As of now, the oil is leaking at a rate of 5,000 barrels (about 210,000 gallons) per day. On May 5, one of the leaks has been capped with a valve. Everyone who can help, from Louisiana fishermen to BP skimmer vessels, are pooling all of their resources to stop the leaks. Despite these efforts, the first of the oil spill touched the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast and uninhabited barrier islands that are part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge on May 6. Freshman Anna Wang said the “fail-safe” system that was supposed to keep this type of thing from happening failed. Freshman Kerry Wang agreed and said, “the entire surrounding area will be affected for years.”
The greatest victims may be the inhabitants of the ecosystems that line the Gulf coast, which is also one of the U.S.’s most abundant sources of seafood. Wildlife of all types are threatened. A few grounds are that are important nesting and breeding areas for many bird species have already been touched by the oil slick. Freshman Annie Tung believes that “the entire situation will have a long-term effect on our ecosystems.” Unstable weather, including thunderstorms and strong winds, and choppy seas have helped to blow the oil at an even faster rate than it is traveling at now. All different types of methods are being used to contain the oil. Barriers called booms that act as very large life jackets are a key component to deflecting the spread of oil. As many as 400 fishermen from southern Louisiana are combining their efforts and pulling together to work as temporary hazmat cleanup and wetlands protection experts, now that their fishing season is over. Air Force planes are continuously spraying chemicals that will break up the oil. New methods of breaking up the oil are being tried and tested as well, such as the use of a 98-ton funnel to be lowered over the site of one of the two remaining leaks.
As of now, everyone’s main concern is stopping the oil leak. With the help of everyone, we can stop the oil spill.