Despite my earlier articles suggesting the promise of the containment dome... the latest attempt at ceasing the never ending stream of oil has been a bust. After the 14 days it took to build the dome, 3 days to move it out to sea, and 12 hours to lower it down a mile into the ocean- it was ice that put a stop to the whole operation.
According to the article that I read a few hours ago, the ice that caused the complication was a mixture of gas and water at freezing temperatures and high pressures called hydrates. These hydrates are reportedly common problems with offshore drilling, and had been possible obstacles since the beginning of the whole operation. Yet, despite recent news that this is all common knowledge. I hadn't heard anything about it in the several articles I've read on the subject in the past few days...
(Officials are going to have to wait until Monday to move forward with the containment and weigh their options as to what to do next. Some of the ideas on the table right now are to melt the ice with warm water and try again, or to prevent icing inside the dome with a mixture of hot water and methanol.)
Two other recent developments surrounding the spill: (1) The cause has been determined to be a methane gas bubble. Apparently, as the bubble (another common occurrence in drilling) shot up through the pipes, it grew in size and burst through several seals- causing the almost irreparable damage that we are dealing with today. (2) Tar has reached the shores of Dauphin Island, only 3 miles off the coast of Atlanta. This has so far put a damper on beach-goers and caused quite a scare- but cleanup has been quite easy so far.
- Amber
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100508/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill
Our names are Amber and Morgan Weimer, we are two twins who appreciate the environment and see the lack of effort that has been put into maintaining it. We want to do our part to stop the abuse of our planet. In everyday life, people are reliant on cars, electronics, airplanes, etc. It is virtually impossible in this day and age to have a low carbon footprint. We are challenging ourselves to try and reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible while maintaining a normal life.
Meet the Authors
Morgan and Amber Weimer on a hike up Wolverine in Anchorage, AK
Greenie Sites
Favorite Sites
Quotes
- "I'm not an environmentalist. I'm an Earth warrior." - Darryl Cherney
- "The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river." - Ross Perot
- "Don't blow it- good planets are hard to find." - Time Magazine
- "It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment." - Ansel Adams
- "We cannot command Nature except by obeying her." - Francis Bacon
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