The imaginings of what may come of the BP oil leak get more and more inventive and dramatic.\u00a0 The following article about the absolute worst-case scenario from the oil leak in the Gulf was read on one of my favorite radio shows Friday night. \u00a0\u00a0 After the host of the show read the story, he read a calmer email from a friend of his that he claimed provides him with “realistic sounding” scientific advice on a regular basis. His friend assured him that this scenario won’t happen and can’t happen.\u00a0 But since I don’t know his advice giver at all, I can’t vouch for that advice.\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe this is something to worry about,\u00a0 but that’s left up to you. \u00a0 Just in case you live in Florida or on an island, you might want to consider this possibility.<\/p>\n
The basics of this story: There is a massive methane bubble under the sea floor, and\u00a0 the Deepwater Horizon drilling operation poked a hole in this methane pocket as it was getting to the oil.\u00a0 Seven times more methane than normal is coming up with this oil, and it’s very volatile, so it could explode with a roar. If it blows, which is likely (or impossible, depending on who you believe) it will unleash a “supersonic tsunami” that will cover Florida and much of the Gulf coast.<\/p>\n
Of course,\u00a0 this is science fiction. Of course it is. But just for your own amusement, you can read the article anyway.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a take on the original story from Helium.com and another by the AP,\u00a0 and presented by David Degraw.<\/p>\n
“I was sent an article yesterday that presented a worst case scenario in the BP Gulf oil spill which described a possibility that sounded too horrifying to be true. The report said the BP drill site is directly over a massive underground reservoir of methane that could result in a huge explosion that would create \u201ca supersonic tsunami\u201d that \u201cwould literally sweep away everything from Miami to the panhandle in a matter of minutes. Loss of human life would be virtually instantaneous and measured in the millions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sounded like exaggerated fear mongering to me, until I saw this report from AP today:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Gulf oil full of methane, adding new concerns<\/p>\n
It is an overlooked danger in oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of Mexico\u2019s fragile ecosystem.<\/p>\n
The oil emanating from the seafloor contains about 40 percent methane, compared with about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits, said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer who is studying the impact of methane from the spill.<\/p>\n
That means huge quantities of methane have entered the Gulf, scientists say, potentially suffocating marine life and creating \u201cdead zones\u201d where oxygen is so depleted that [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The imaginings of what may come of the BP oil leak get more and more inventive and dramatic.\u00a0 The following article about the absolute worst-case scenario from the oil leak in the Gulf was read on one of my favorite … Continue reading