Hydrosphere Journal Entry

Hydrosphere Journal Entry

Oil Spill Reaches Gulf Coast (May 1, 2010)

Oil from the exploded rig reached the Mississippi River Delta on the Louisiana coast in what's become a huge environmental nightmare. The toxic oil threatens hundreds of species of birds, fish, and other kinds of wildlife on beaches and marshes along the Gulf Coast. The oil slick, which already stretches over an area the size of West Virginia, is growing rapidly as more than 200,000 gallons of oil per day gush from the ruptured well on the ocean floor. At that rate, the spill could pass the Exxon Valdez 1989 disaster in Alaska as the worst oil spill in the nation's history.

The Coast Guard abandoned its plan to burn off some of the oil after sea conditions worsened. Efforts to plug the gushing well 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below the surface with submersible robots have so far failed. The next solution is to drill relief wells to plug the leak, but that could take three months. In the meantime, more than 200,000 feet of protective booms were put in place along the coast to contain oil reaching the shore. Aircraft have dropped 100,000 gallons of chemical dispersants on the water's surface to break down the oil.

The Gulf of Mexico is one of the world's richest sources of seafood. The oil threatens oyster beds, shrimp, bluefin tuna, and many other kinds of seafood. A pod of sperm whales and sea turtles in the northern Gulf are also in great danger. Oil is especially harmful to sea birds. The sticky oil robs feathers of their ability to insulate from the cold. Birds can get sick from licking the toxic goo off their feathers. Oil can also make it difficult for them to fly, or cause them to lose buoyancy and drown. Bird species found along the Gulf Coast include the brown pelican, reddish egret, mottled duck, royal tern, and snowy plover.