We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

[tx1961whaler]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

FIRE- seems to be the only solution-at hand.

So be it-do it.

There is no question on the environmental impact. However, fire is, as has been proven, a regenerator. Fire is a regenerator of our forests, no question.

I always have had one question that NOBODY has ever answered:

Why is that oil is 5000 ft. + below the Earth's surface???? What happened to bury it????



If we all agree that there is oil there-no brainer-where did it come from? Why isn't the Earth producing more?? I think it is, based on logic.

The earth is always producing more oil. It just didn't magically stop. It's that far down because that's where the heat and pressure are that convert sedimentary rock into hydrocarbons. The issue is that we pump it out about a gillion times faster than it is created.

 

[rbh]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Oil, gas, coal are the results of the fresh water vegitation, over time getting buried and/or tectonic action??? (the plates squish other plates) add lots of pressure and you get fuel of some kind, kind of like the dump were they are pumping out methane.
my take on it anyways.

 

[cheburashka]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

FIRE- seems to be the only solution-at hand.

So be it-do it.

There is no question on the environmental impact. However, fire is, as has been proven, a regenerator. Fire is a regenerator of our forests, no question.

I always have had one question that NOBODY has ever answered:

Why is that oil is 5000 ft. + below the Earth's surface???? What happened to bury it????



If we all agree that there is oil there-no brainer-where did it come from? Why isn't the Earth producing more?? I think it is, based on logic.

It's been answered. Organic matter deposited on the ocean floor is covered over by layers of sediment. It's hard to imagine enough sediment to account for thousands of feet, but then again, it's hard to imagine millions of years.

There are three or four geologists who argue that the earth is constantly producing oil out of inorganic compounds. Their theories are not very well respected in the field of geology, but they've been latched onto by a certain demographic in the US. From what I've read, the organic source theory is a lot more believable.

 

[j_martin]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Oil, gas, coal are the results of the fresh water vegitation, over time getting buried and/or tectonic action??? (the plates squish other plates) add lots of pressure and you get fuel of some kind, kind of like the dump were they are pumping out methane.
my take on it anyways.

Just for grins and giggles, google "abiotic oil".

The ultra deep oil is coming from deeper yet, and it is a continuing process. The Russians went for it under the mountains in granite, hit it, and are now selling it to Europe. I would bet the field being worked by this platform is abiotic oil. Interesting, but off topic. 'nough said.

 

[rbh]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

^^^^^
COOL!!!
I hiked up to the 10.500 foot mark in the Kaninaskis country (Rockey MTN foothills west of Calgary) I picked up many fossils of sea creatures on the west side of the peak, on the east side about 500-1000 feet bellow the peak drill rigs were there doing exploritory holes.

 

[j_martin]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

several years ago there was a new story about a microbe discovered that would eat oil, at the time they thought it would be useful in a situation like this, anyone ever hear what happened to it?

There are a lot of microbes that eat oil. Otherwise every fat critter that died would leave an oil slick. They were talking about developing a super bacteria that would do it quickly. Around here an oil spill is absorbed by whatever is available, then spread fairly thinly on farm fields, where nature takes care of it with reasonable dispatch.

Light sweet should both evaporate and be quite easily digestible by nature, so I'm betting after the initial shock, you may find the impact much smaller than you would expect. The containment dome should work well, and eventually the relief well should cut the volume way down.

Meanwhile, there's a lot of work to do, and BP is paying. Keep track of your time and expenses.

my 02
John

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

I like most people here love animals. Its a very sad day that millions of our wild animals will now die because of this oil spill. I hope the oil company will be made to pay for the loss even if it eats up some of their zillion dollar profits. Im not just talking about the fishing but the birds and beaver and squirels and racoons and otters etc etc etc. It hurts to even think of it.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

I am up late due to a silly movie- just flipped the weather channel on. Not lookin good. Looks like the wind is pushing that slick right up on shore Bigger waves too. 150,000 gal a day, not good. Good of you guys to be in the realm of remediating things though. Gonna be nasty from what is being reported. DOD , National Guard, etc. getting involved too.Hope they can help as well.

 

[skargo]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Sadly, this will dwarf Valdez.

 

[cheburashka]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Just for grins and giggles, google "abiotic oil".

You can google "tinfoil hat" too and get some interesting results, but that doesn't make them true.

I'm interested in knowing what the long-term effects of the Exxon-Valdez were. I get conflicting information from biased sites. For example, I read that only 8% of the oil from that spill was recovered, which sounds scary but might not be as bad as it sounds. Does that mean that the rest evaporated, or is it still causing problems to the PWS ecosystem? What's it take for the stuff to biodegrade? Was the oil in the Exxon Valdez significantly different from the oil coming out of the well in LA?

One positive note: these spills generally prompt better controls. The Exxon Valdez disaster prompted a drive toward double-hulled tankers. I bet this one will teach us something about the kinds of safeguards needed for this type of well, since the ones in place obviously didn't get the job done. I bet there will soon be requirements for multiple redundant systems for deep-water wells.

 

[QC]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

I get conflicting information from biased sites.

Isn't that the truth on almost anything. It's got to where I don't believe much that I read or hear from almost any source. With that said, I like how we tend to get lots of pieces, with point/counterpoint here. So far this thread has remained very civil and seems to be an exchange of info along with some well wishes etc. Let's all work hard to keep it that way, it seems to be working . . .

 

[marlboro180]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

OMG- Turned on the weather channel again- SE winds, lowland coastal flooding warnings, fairly decent sized waves. Jeeshh. Thats gonna make booms useless.

Looks like better valves are gonna be the way of the future.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

High waves will make most boom type useless in some areas - not all. The estuaries in SE Louisiana are much like the structure of the lungs or brains of mammals. They have many "folds." What that means is that there are many areas that would benefit from boom deployment.

I have been on several lists for volunteer mitigation efforts for nearly three days. I haven't heard a word from any of them.



???

 

[KeyWestSkipper]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

I didn't realize until this incident that this was the deepest oil well ever drilled, and I can't imagine how in hell they can service and operate that equipment at that depth, let alone make repairs and deal with accidents. Granted I know next to nothing of oil drilling, but 5000 feet to the wellhead and another 3 miles to the oil? THAT's considered accessible? Wow.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

So far this thread has remained very civil and seems to be an exchange of info along with some well wishes etc. Let's all work hard to keep it that way, it seems to be working . . .

Yes, it has and as the thread originator, I appreciate that. I'm feeling a little helpless right now, because no one with an ability to organize mitigation efforts, seems to be doing anything other than holding press conferences. To me, this is very frustrating, because we can do some things, that would at least reduce the impact of what is happening.

I am not a particularly religious person in the conventional sense. This does not mean that I don't have a belief system, but it is not based on a traditional church structure. My "church" is the bayou and the marshlands. These places are not only where I spend a lot of time in general - they are where I go when I want to reflect on something, or simply appreciate the amazing creation that the earth is. Its very hard to watch this happening, with very little apparent effort to stop it.

As of a few minutes ago, I have volunteered my boat and my time with yet another agency. This time, its a local Parish government. Their Homeland Security dept. is compiling a list of boats/names and they are apparently trying to get booms from a variety of sources, for deployment.



???

 

[mphy98]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Not to sound cynical here but mother earth has a way of cleaning up what we do. An example is all the tankers that were sunk and other ships full of oil and fuel in WWII. More oil seeps naturally from the seas than people know. Yes it is a shame and there will be short term problems, but as with WWII the problems will go away. Remember oil is a natural product of the earth, and it may take a few years, but it will clean up. I know no one cleaned up all those tankers and sunk ships, so... We make a huge deal of everything these days. Have a little faith and try not to pollute, but we do not live in a glass bubble. Things do happen.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Not to sound cynical here but mother earth has a way of cleaning up what we do. An example is all the tankers that were sunk and other ships full of oil and fuel in WWII. More oil seeps naturally from the seas than people know. Yes it is a shame and there will be short term problems, but as with WWII the problems will go away. Remember oil is a natural product of the earth, and it may take a few years, but it will clean up. I know no one cleaned up all those tankers and sunk ships, so... We make a huge deal of everything these days. Have a little faith and try not to pollute, but we do not live in a glass bubble. Things do happen.

Im sorry, but that really ruffles my feathers. In a response like that, it sounds as if you are saying that it will just go away. if it goes on for 1 month, it will be something like 4.5 million gallons on top of the ocean. Hmmm, gonna go away on its own?

Good for you Jay, hope they get something together soon to coordinate the cleanup with good people like you.

 

[zoe'sdad]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

I would like some consistent information on the spill. BP and the Coast Guard give conflicting information. Where exactly is it leaking? At the BOP? One of the other well heads? At the well bore itself? How exactley are they using the ROV's to close the valves? If the robot has to turn a valve and there is resistance would't the robort turn in circles instead of the valve turning? That sounds dumb but it's a picture that keeps running in my head. Frustrating.

 

[aspeck]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Im sorry, but that really ruffles my feathers. In a response like that, it sounds as if you are saying that it will just go away. if it goes on for 1 month, it will be something like 4.5 million gallons on top of the ocean. Hmmm, gonna go away on its own?

Actually you are both right. And I don't think that mrphy was saying that whatever happens happens and don't worry, no problem. However, I do think he was saying that the earth is resiliant and can take care of itself. However, the longer this takes to stop, the more help the earth can use.

I had a DEP officer once tell me, "the friend of pollution is dilution." He was refering to an oil spill in our area. It was minute compared to what is being dealt with in the Gulf, but the basis is the same.

The sooner the leak can be stopped, and the more oil that is recovered, the less impact will be seen on the environment. But no matter how much oil is spilled, if left alone EVENTUALLY the earth would deal with it. That is not to say there would not be widespread death and destruction of fish, birds, and other animals in the short and long term.

I think (and when you assume, you know what happens) mrphy was trying to make a point of how the media overstates and magnifies EVERYTHING to the point that you just don't know what to believe.

The faster the leak can be slowed and stopped, the better. My uncle is a designer of oil rigs. I will be talking with him soon and will get his take on what BP is trying to do to mitigate the leaks. It should be interesting. I hope it wasn't one of his rigs!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: We're Gonna Get Hammered - Oil Spill!

Not to sound cynical here but mother earth has a way of cleaning up what we do.

This is a pretty inappropriate response to one of the largest environmental disaster ever.