UF expert says oil spill could spread to east coast of Florida

I live on a small island just south of Tampa in the Gulf. They are predicting landfall of the slick in the panhandle by monday, and say if it hits the stream right could loop around the state and be on the east coast of Florida in a week.
Since Crist has already declared an emergency in a couplle of counties, does it mean we'll have help faster now that Obama has to do something, or should we expect a wait too, until it makes landfall.
Turtle season just is starting here, and this will surely devestate their population, as well as the manatees, dolphins, fish, crab, shrimp etc. Since this has the very real possibility of wiping out most of the gulf coasts fishing industry, as well as charters, water recreation, and tourism.......will we see a government response to that, or will it just be handled like business as usual? This truely is a tragedy, and hopefully they will be able to deal with it in a reasobale manner/time frame.....however, it is the government, or lack there of that we're discussing. Thoughts on response, abilities, responsibilities???????








www.gainesville.com...

This is Obama's katrina...we will see how they work it out.

How in the f!@#$ they are gonna plug a 30 k deep well 5k under with enough pressure from the formation to blow all 5 valves and the platform...and now the platform is 5k, upside down, in top of this monster and 200k of oil spewing out.

The formation pressure can be compared to a volcano..oil vokcano...

If course when we have this much pressure alleviated underneath us it will cause all sorts of interesting things here on the surface...like minor eqs.

I know Obama understands the sit but of course nobody here is aware of rising oil, food, transportation prices, demise of local fisheries, bankruptcy of BP etc etc....this is no tiny matter.

[edit on 1-5-2010 by whiteraven]

Hurricane season is on the way.

I have spent significant time in the Gulf and Caribbean...this may be one hell of a ride this season.

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill has now reached the Gulf Coast and will likely eclipse the Exxon Valdez disaster in its impact on the ecology of the fragile region.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Spill could be worse than Exxon Valdez
By CAIN BURDEAU and HOLBROOK MOHR, Associated Press Writers Cain Burdeau And Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press Writers
VENICE, La. – An oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control
blogs.kxan.com...

Several other news sources have all predicted that this could be worse than the Exxon Valdez. Is this exaggeration, journalistic sensationalism, or is it truth?

If it is truth, then what repercussions can we expect in the near future as well as 5 to 10 years down the road? Perhaps we should look back at the Exxon Valdez spill to understand just what this is being to compared to as even being potentially worse.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Ten Years Later

...

More marine mammals and birds died than in any other oil spill. ... Only 2 of 26 species studied by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council have recovered (bald eagle and river otter).[12] "The Exxon Valdez spill killed nearly ten times as many birds as any other U.S. or European oil spill," said seabird expert Dr. Michael Fry. As many as half a million birds died. Over 30,000 carcasses of 90 species of birds were plucked from the beaches, but this is only a fraction of the actual mortality.[13] Harm to birds from chronic effects and decreased reproduction continues to the present.

arcticcircle.uconn.edu...

Toxic Effects Lingering

To the naked eye, Prince William Sound may appear “normal.” But if you look beneath the surface, oil continues to contaminate beaches, national parks, and designated wilderness. In fact, the Office of Technology Assessment estimated beach cleanup and oil skinning only recovered 3-4% of the Exxon Valdez oil and studies by government scientists estimated that only 14% of the oil was removed during cleanup operations.[15]

A decade later, the ecosystem still suffers. Substantial contamination of mussel beds persists and this remarkably unweathered oil is a continuing source of toxic hydrocarbons.[16]


Oil is more toxic than thought.

Even before the spill, scientists knew that a drop of oil could kill a bird’s egg. But after studying the impact of the Valdez spill, they now believe oil pollution is at least 100 times more toxic to fish than previously known. It is also more persistent.

arcticcircle.uconn.edu...

This barely skims the surface. The issue here deals mainly with the fragile eco system and loss and possible extinction of species. Yet to be discussed is the loss of human livihood involved and the quality of life being destroyed. Also the human health hazards are yet to be emphasized.

In spite of evidence and documentation to the contrary, the companies responsible have claimed that the area has "recovered". Perhaps their definition of "recovered" simply means "not as bad as it was at time of disaster".


Exxon Valdez: Twenty Years Later (October 2009)

Exxon Valdez oil-spill recovery still is work in progress, 20 years later


But pockets of oil -- an estimated 16,000 gallons, according to federal researchers -- remain buried in small portions of the intertidal zone hard hit by the spill. Seven distinct species, including sea otters, killer whales and clams, still are considered to be "recovering" from the initial effects of the oil.

And herring, a cornerstone species of the Sound's ecosystem, is one of two species considered as "not recovering" by the council, the joint federal-state group established to oversee restoration.

The herring population's failure to rebound has emerged as among the most perplexing ecological mysteries of the spill's legacy.

seattletimes.nwsource.com...

Where is our future?

reply to post by adifferentbreed


Did you mean the WEST coast of Florida? I can see that happening on satellite images, but the East coast? I dunno..

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
reply to post by adifferentbreed

 

Did you mean the WEST coast of Florida? I can see that happening on satellite images, but the East coast? I dunno..

Fresh off the press.

Several experts said if the oil enters the stream, it would flow around the southern tip of Florida and up the eastern seaboard.

"It will be on the East Coast of Florida in almost no time," Graber said. "I don't think we can prevent that. It's more of a question of when rather than if."

www.chicagotribune.com...

reply to post by Alethea


Thanks nice find. Since the OP said they were in Tampa, I thought they just got their directions mixed.

Nope, didn't get my directions mixed up, that loop current is gonna really hurt us I think. Yup It actually does drop down the west cost, goes across the bottom, and back up the east coast........this is not gonna be pretty for awhile.

reply to post by whiteraven
being from the uk im not familiar with the weather patterns of the south of the usa, our weather is never reliable, is the hurricane season with you a definite period,and if so what do you envisage happening, British petroleum have a lot to answer to here.