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In gulf oil spill's long reach, ecological damage could last decades

Washington Post by Joel Achenbach, David Brown | Jun. 6, 2010 (News Report)

Ecosystems can survive and eventually recover from very large oil spills, even ones that are Ixtoc-sized. In most spills, the volatile compounds evaporate. The sun breaks down others. Some compounds are dissolved in water. Microbes consume the simpler, "straight chain" hydrocarbons -- and the warmer it is, the more they eat. The gulf spill has climate in its favor. Scientists agree: Horrible as the spill may be, it's not going to turn the Gulf of Mexico ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via Slatest, Real Clear Politics, Washington Post , Patrick McDermott (t), David Wardell (t), Salvador Sala (t), Fabrice Florin (t), miker1717 (t), Tobie Openshaw (f)

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Subjects: Politics, Sci/Tech, Media, Extra
Topics: Environment, Energy, Oil and Gas, Long News
Member Tags: am update
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Posted by: Posted by Kaizar Campwala - Jun 5, 2010 - 8:02 PM PDT
Reviewed by: Dale Penn (review), Barry Grossheim (review), Mike LaBonte (review), Randy Morrow (review), Jon Mitchell (review)
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Jon Mitchell - Jun 11, 2010 - 10:11 AM PDT

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Jon Mitchell
4.2
 by Jon Mitchell - Jun. 11, 2010

This is a must-read for coverage of the oil spill. It does a good job of assessing how much oil has leaked and is leaking, and it compares this leak to other major oil disasters in order to give it some scope.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Dale Penn
4.6
 by Dale Penn - Jun. 7, 2010

Excellent journalism. The crisis of the spill is the story of the moment. As evidenced by reliable sources, past spills have left residual messes unaddressed for decades, with implications to wildlife that are still being realized. How does one put a price on that?

While much of the coverage of the gulf oil spill has been devoted to the crisis at hand, this story provides evidence through reliable sources that if BP is to "get this right" as it says in its commercials, it will need to invest in cleanup technologies that have gone far beyond those used in the past.

See Full Review » (12 answers)
Mike LaBonte
3.3
 by Mike LaBonte - Jun. 8, 2010

The premise of this story depends on the total size of the BP spill, but that is poorly addressed. Instead the story concentrates on studying the Exxon Valdeez spill, a worthwhile topic. There is some information here that is new to me. Sources are mostly scientists.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Randy Morrow
3.4
 by Randy Morrow - Jun. 9, 2010

Evidence citing past spills that this BP spill will have long lasting effects.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Barry Grossheim
4.1
 by Barry Grossheim - Jun. 7, 2010

This seems to be a well sourced look at the long term damage that might be expected based on experts in ecology. I would be interested in knowing who funds the ecologists at the University of Louisiana.

See Full Review » (6 answers)

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    New York Times by Ron Lieber | Jun. 11, 2010 (News Report)
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    3.8
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  • Spill forces fossil fuels rethinking

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    Posted by Dwight Rousu
    3.7
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  • Energy Transitions Past and Future

    The Oil Drum by Cutler Cleveland | Jun. 7, 2010 (Opinion)
    In the coming decades, world oil production will peak and then begin to decline, followed by natural gas and eventually coal production. There is considerable debate about ...
    Posted by Mike LaBonte
    3.9
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  • Lasting Menace

    Scientific American by David Biello | Jun. 20, 2010 (News)
    More than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez foundered off the coast of Alaska, sea otters still dig up oil in their hunt for clams in Prince William Sound. Nearly 25 years after ...
    Posted by Jon Mitchell
    4.1
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