What have we learned from the Gulf oil spill of 2010?
New research details what scientists have learned from studying the Deepwater Horizon oil spill since it happened in 2010. “We found that much good work had been done on oil weathering and oil degradation by microbes, with significant implications for future research and response activities.”
What happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010?
On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank resulting in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon and the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operations.
What happened in 2010 severely damaged the Gulf of Mexico?
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also called Gulf of Mexico oil spill, largest marine oil spill in history, caused by an April 20, 2010, explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig—located in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 41 miles (66 km) off the coast of Louisiana—and its subsequent sinking on April 22.
What did BP learn from the oil spill?
Oil plays too big a role in the world economy to turn off the spigot – or to stop exploring for new sources of crude to replace declining oil fields already in production. The larger lesson of the BP oil spill – the environmental and economic risks of over-reliance on fossil fuel – is lost on no one.
How did the Gulf War oil spill happen?
Early reports from Iraqi forces claimed that the spill had been caused by the United States sinking of two oil tankers. It was later revealed that in a desperate military move, Iraqi forces had opened oil valves of the Sea Island pipeline, releasing oil from numerous tankers.
What is a famous oil spill?
BP’s Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010) The largest accidental oil spill in history began in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, after a surge of natural gas blasted through a cement well cap that had recently been installed to seal a well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.
What happened in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill?
On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank resulting in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon and the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operations.
What was the worst oil spill in history?
Introduction. The Gulf oil spill is recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Within days of the April 20, 2010 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people, underwater cameras revealed the BP pipe was leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor about 42 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
How much oil is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico?
“Scientists up estimate of leaking Gulf oil”. MSNBC. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 June 2010. ^ a b c Kunzelman, Michael (11 January 2013). “BP Seeks Gulf Oil Spill Size Ruling From Judge”. Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 20 January 2013. ^ Hoch, Maureen (2 August 2010). “New Estimate Puts Gulf Oil Leak at 205 Million Gallons”.
What happened to Gulf wildlife during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?
Pictures of pelicans, sea turtles, and other Gulf of Mexico wildlife struggling in oil were among some of the most disturbing images of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in 2010.