June 4, 2010 - A detailed computer model of current flows from the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf Stream and up the Atlantic Coast of the United States shows how oil erupting from the BP disaster may arrive on East Coast beaches later this summer. The Gulf Stream flows at up to 100 miles a day. Here's a link to a video of the model.

Here's more on the story from Robert Lee Holtz at WSJ.com

May 23, 2010 - Boston.com is showing an informative photo essay of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. View it here.

 

 

May 20th, 2010 - Kevin Costner, the Hollywood actor of Waterworld fame (infamy?) is making a serious contribution to the clean-up of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Witnessing the effects of the 1989  Exxon Valdez spill Costner was frustrated that there was no way to clean spilled oil from water.  He decided to do something about it, bought early stage technology from the government and invested $24 million of his own money to start a company that could provide a solution. The company is called Ocean Therapy Solutions and now has machines that suck oil from ocean water, store the oil in a tanker and return 99.9% pure water back into the ocean. The largest of Ocean Therapy's machines can separate 210,000 gallons of oil from water per day.  Testing with BP has started.  Here's more from Liz Robbins at at NYTimes and a YouTube video of the technology being demonstrated by Costner in Lousiana

 

May 2, 2010 - Fifty miles offshore and nearly one mile below the ocean's surface oil is erupting volcanically into the Gulf of Mexico. An explosion on April 20th cost eleven lives and sank an oil platform that was connected to a hole that was drilled into the ocean floor. The hole should have closed automatically when the explosion happened.  It didn't. There were no back-up plans for shutting the hole. The early attempts to close down the well with remotely piloted underwater vehicles failed. BP, the oil company ultimately responsible for the disaster, says it might be 90 days before the underwater gusher is shut down. The company acknowledges that, in fact, it may be impossible to make it stop at all.  In that case oil will spew into the Gulf until the reservoir under the seabed is empty.  The amount of crude that has been released into the Gulf over the past 12 days is unprecedented in US waters. This is becoming, if not already, the worst environmental disaster in US history. It will get worse. The long term environmental and economic costs will be staggering.

Marshlands that protect New Orleans and other areas along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are threatened. Able to withstand small amounts of oil, the grasses will die off if oil washes over them for months unabated. When grasses die the land underneath them becomes mud and washes away. Erosion accelerates massively. 

With oil covering the ocean's surface fishing boats are unable to fish. Oil on the beaches are a turnoff for tourists. And the fixes, chemicals that help the oil break down, may make sea food at the bottom of the food chain toxic.

There's even speculation that some of the oil could flow out of the Gulf, into the Gulf Stream and make its way up the East Coast. Little blobs could possibly show up on Cape Cod beaches some time later this year.

Eventually, in 20-50 years, the coastal areas affected by this mess will be fine. That's a short time in the life of earth but very long indeed for the people and creatures who live by the sea.