Millions of gallons of BP oil found resting on the Gulf floor

[Rhiannon12866]

Yet another study raises questions about the long-term impact of the 2010 disaster

Another study has identified a massive amount of oil resting on the Gulf of Mexico’s floor, contradicting BP’s claims that everything is totally better now and raising questions about the lasting impact of the 2010 spill.

Researchers at Florida State University identified some 6 to 10 million gallons of BP oil buried in the sediment at the bottom of the Gulf, covering a 9,300 square mile area southeast of the Mississippi Delta. Their findings, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, help solve the mystery of where all the oil went: a federal judge ruled that BP spilled about 134 million gallons of oil in total, although government estimates put that amount even higher.

Last year, geochemists at the University of California-Santa Barbara identified a similar phenomenon, of what they called a “bathtub ring” of oil the size of Rhode Island scattered across the Gulf. The authors of this study, as with that one, express concern about what it’s doing down there. Jeff Chanton, a professor of oceanology at FSU and the study’s lead author, notes that as oil remains deep underwater, it encounters less oxygen, making it more difficult to decompose.

And just because it’s buried doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. “This is going to affect the Gulf for years to come,” Chanton said. “Fish will likely ingest contaminants because worms ingest the sediment, and fish eat the worms. It’s a conduit for contamination into the food web.


http://www.salon.com/2015/01/30/millions_of_gallons_of_bp_oil_found_resting_on_the_gulf_floor/



A member of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's staff reaches into thick oil in the Northern regions of Barataria Bay in Plaquemines Parish, La., Tuesday, June 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Credit: Gerald Herbert)

[NBachers]

1. Just declare the seabed of the Gulf off limits and fine & imprison anyone who accesses it.

Same for anyone who disseminates information about it.

Every branch of the tree the information passes through will be liable for BP's total cleanup costs, plus damages.

It's called the Fatherland Trans-Gulf Partnership.

[DeSwiss]

2. K&R

Uploaded on Jun 15, 2010

In President Obama's address about the BP oil disaster, he says 'BP will pay for the damage their company has caused.'

Contact Us: http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/contact-us.html

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Thanks for the link!

This is still playing out in court, the various corporations still trying to shift the responsibility onto each other. IMO, there is more than enough responsibility - and potential cost - to go around. And I don't think the responsibilities for cleaning this up and making this right should ever be over. As with the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, the effects and the damage are going to continue to be felt for generations...

BP oil spill at issue in two federal court cases next week
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112780542

[progree]

5. As the ice caps melt, there will be more water in the oceans and that will dilute it

so won't be a problem anymore

-Progree
(home schooled in Republican Science)

[Rhiannon12866]

6. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the BP "experts" testified to that in court...

[MJJP21]

4. The Law

The law should be changed to include the country where the corporation is headquartered to assume financial responsibility should the company file bankruptcy or go out of business. It should also be illegal to register headquarters in a country that could not financially take on the costs of a major disaster such as what happened in the Gulf. Maybe then companies and countries might not be so hasty to conduct dangerous operations .

[Rhiannon12866]

7. That's one possible solution

But which corporation? They're now busy pointing fingers of blame at each other.

[Nihil]

10. Ha ha ha!

1) Halliburton was originally headquartered in the USA (though they have moved since).
2) Transocean was originally headquarted in the USA (though they have moved since).
3) The screams of rage from American corporations if you even voiced that idea would deafen half the planet.

[progressoid]

8. Hey maybe we should start more drilling in the Atlantic.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/27/381940209/obama-administration-proposes-opening-up-atlantic-to-drilling

[Cooley Hurd]

9. Kick and Rec - after 5 damn years???

[Panich52]

11. DailyKos post on found 'missing' oil...

10 million 'missing' gallons of crude oil from BP's 2010 oil spill has been found

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/05/1362564/-10-million-missing-gallons-of-crude-oil-from-BP-s-2010-oil-spill-has-been-found?detail=email