thought experiment: Is the oil slick large enough to alter the weather and in what way?

[John N Morgan]

Oil prevents evaporation. Evaporation is a cooling effect on the body of water. Will the Gulf of Texaco be a breeding ground for super-hurricanes due to the heat?

Effectively the question is: will the oil slick cause the gulf to increase in temperature and by how much? Then if not hurricanes how about drought?

The size of the spill got me thinking.

Will next winter be very mild in Europe? Will this cause faster ice melts up north?

Hey, an inquiring mind has to know?

[cliffordu]

1. What will hurricanes do with the oil on the surface??

Pick it up and paint the entire southern coast with a fine mist of crude???

Hmmm.....

[John N Morgan]

4. The water will be hotter than normal under the oil. The hurricane breaks up the slick enough

to expose the hot water; hence, hurricane fuel.

I guess the first clue would be to watch the first low that forms north of the spill and watch the warm front to see if it's acting the way it should. It should pick up the moisture and take it north, if we start seeing dry warm fronts, this gets weird.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. They'll go sliding across the gulf, trip over Mexico, and land in the pacific.

What we need to do is fill the pacific with banana peels, so it will just keep going to Asia.

[WheelWalker]

2. If it puts another stake in the heart of fossil fuel use,

that can only help to advance renewable energy and thereby ameliorate climate change caused by the use of fossil fuels.

[John N Morgan]

7. It may turn out that this spill so costly we cannot afford the chance of another.

We have not begun to calculate the cost of this disaster.

That spot in the gulf is a "hot spot" as it is. I would like to think NOAA is already on it.

[mindwalker_i]

3. As a hang-glider pilot...

The semi-evil side of me wonders whether the oil will heat up and create more thermals. However, I wouldn't want to count on that...

[John N Morgan]

5. I'm a pilot, PPL, and that's where the thought started. I'm always interested in weather

What would a dry warm front act like?

[mindwalker_i]

9. Dry and warm would make for heavier lifting air

Wet air (high humidity) is lighter since water vapor is lighter than air (I think that's how it works). So yeah, it might make for good thermals. I'd be a little afraid of turbulence though. Npow light the oil on fire and I might have to get a hot dog and a REALLY long stick :D It might even come out deep fried.

[John N Morgan]

17. The smell ... ewwww. you might land looking like one of those birds.

[mindwalker_i]

19. Yeah, that would probably be pretty bad...

[raouldukelives]

6. How far out is hurricane season?

Could a hurricane hit during relief hole drilling efforts in 60 days?

[John N Morgan]

8. June 1, 2010 to November 30, 2010. So, yep.

[HooptieWagon]

10. Right now, the slick covers an area that's only a fraction the size of the Gulf

I doubt it has any measurable effect on weather except on an extremely local level. Also, the slick isn't one contiguous blob, in the general area of the slick there may be areas that have little or no oil.
In the event of a hurricane, the oil will have little effect, IMO. Sailors of old used oil (generally fish oil) to calm the breaking tops of waves, but the wave action in a hurricane is so violent I don't think the oil would have much effect. Mostly, the waves would just spread the oil around a lot more, which will make a mess but may help it disperse and evaporate more quickly.

[John N Morgan]

16. The sheen is a slick as well. Not just the globs. That location is a hot spot as it is.

When the hurricanes break up the slick to expose the hotter than normal water, there WILL be an affect.

The sheen is apparently already hitting Alabama and Florida, so, it's not small.

[Union Yes]

11. Black sludge attracts solar heat. Walk across black pavement on a sunny hot day.

No idea if it would show any change in water temp. If it keeps growing, who knows?

[John N Morgan]

15. Asphault doesn't attract solar heat. It just doesn't reflect it. However, your point

is taken to mean the reflectivity of the water may be reduced adding another source of additional heat absorption.

[Union Yes]

12. Question, Anyone know what the temps are in that area of the Gulf?

Pretty warm this time of year I imagine.

[John N Morgan]

13. It's pre-hurrican season. The least that will happen is the water will get an early start at

getting hot. And that stretch IS a hot spot.

[tkmorris]

18. Try this