So, in my “looking up” this month, the obvious issue to research is the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Because of an explosion on April 20 on a deepwater drilling rig, oil is gushing out into the ocean at a horrible rate – millions of gallons’ worth. If we thought the Exxon-Valdez was bad, this is much, much worse. Why? The Exxon Valdez pumped 10.8 million gallons, but that was the end. So far, this oil well has spilled 6 million gallons, and since no one can figure out how to shut off the spigot, it’ll keep coming. (Update: Now oceanographers think the spill may make its way out of the Gulf and up the East Coast.) There are still stretches of beach in Alaska that haven’t recovered yet. How is this mess going to affect the more populated areas of the southern US and, perhaps, the East Coast, all big fishing industries?
It’s actually hard to imagine how much oil that is. Paul Rademacher, an engineering manager for Google Maps, created an interactive map of the oil spill, coupled with Google Earth, that can superimpose the area of the spill on whatever part of the world you wish it to cover. It’s sickening. If you type in Washington, D.C., for example, it pretty much wipes out all of Maryland. Yeah. It’s nearly all of Maine’s coastline if you type in Brunswick, my hometown. (So far, they’ve been unsuccessful in stopping the flow and in containing it so it doesn’t spread and make landfall.) It’s big enough to be seen from space. This is going to cause an economic and ecologic disaster. I don’t need to say it even. It’s horrible, I wish they could stop it, and I don’t know how they can. Oh for solar panels, anyone?
Update: Here are some methods they are developing to halt the spill. Now to see if they work. This could go on for years if they can’t stop the leak.
Ramblings of a Ragamuffin Child 